Suns’ Dillon Brooks on difficulty of going up against him: ‘I’d be frustrated as well’

Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks made no qualms on Thursday when describing how difficult he can be for opposing players to go up against on a basketball court.

“I’d be a little frustrated as well because I’ve surprised myself with some (expletive) too,” Brooks told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo. “Overall, I just love the game of basketball and I play at a different intensity. Some guys can handle it, some guys can’t.”

How difficult is it to deal with Suns forward Dillon Brooks when going up against him on the court?

Brooks gives his insight on why he can be hard to deal with on @BurnsAndGambo.

Full interview: https://t.co/rppIhuCTNH pic.twitter.com/L0R7yDxCjj

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) October 24, 2025

Brooks, whose nickname has become “Dillon the Villain” throughout his nine-year career, is coming off a game where he scored 22 points with four rebounds, three assists and two steals in the Suns’ 120-116 win against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.

He looked to be playing the villain role well as he was noticeably beefing with Kings forward DeMar DeRozan throughout the game.

Brooks has had a knack for battling some of the best players in the NBA throughout his career, including Lebron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and Luka Doncic.

Brooks said that he welcomes the challenge of going up against the best players and doesn’t back down from it.

“I take on the challenge and watch this game every single day and I see guys giving in and I don’t give in,” Brooks said. “I study and I want to stop you and I want you to feel my energy when I stop you.”

Brooks said he hopes his energy can spread throughout the Suns this season, something he felt the team did against the Kings on Wednesday.

“As you can see in that last game, it’s contagious. Guys you don’t see playing defense or getting physical are playing up to their potential and exceeding expectations,” Brooks said. “That’s what I do and that’s what I bring.”

Suns’ next game

The Suns begin their three-game road trip on Friday as they will face former Suns Chris Paul, Bradley Beal and the Los Angeles Clippers at the Intuit Dome at 7:30 p.m.

Listen to Suns-Clippers on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. 

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