Rockets' Dillon Brooks is best version of himself in Canada's recent Olympic win

Sure, it's summertime. Who says you can't see your favorite Houston Rockets in action?

That is, if Dillon Brooks is your favorite Rocket. The Canadian-born wing seems to be a lightning rod for controversy. Still, give Brooks this much - if nothing else, he always seems to show up for international play.

Canada's contest with Greece on Saturday was no exception. Brooks helped lead the Canadian squad to an 86-79 win over Giannis Antetokoumnpo's squad in the first Group Phase game of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

He was exactly what Rockets fans want him to be.

Houston Rockets wing shines in international play

Specifically, Brooks finished with 14 points while shooting 3/4 from long-range. His shot selection was careful, and Brooks saved as much effort as possible for the defensive end of the floor.

He tried his best to contain Antetokoumnpo. Unfortunately, that's a fool's errand. Antetkoumnpo finished with 34 points on 11/17 shooting from the field. It wasn't enough to vanquish the Canadians, but it was an impressive effort.

It's hard to blame the Bucks' superstar. Team Greece was simply outmanned. They feature a couple of other players - Kostas Papaniklaou, and Georgios Papagiannis - who have some NBA experience, but neither lasted long in the league. Otherwise, you'd be a diehard fan of Greek basketball if you'd heard of anyone on this roster.

By contrast, we won't list every player with NBA experience on Team Canada. It's over half the roster. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and RJ Barrett led the team in scoring, with Brooks spacing the floor and doing the dirty work.

Why can't he do that for the Rockets?

Houston Rockets get glimpse of ideal Brooks

Frankly, we wish Brooks would fill this role for the Rockets. That doesn't mean we can't understand why he steps outside of it.

Compared to Team Canada, the Rockets are a bit light on offensive firepower. Brooks feels compelled to take matters into his own hands more often. If some of the young Rockets make strides in 2024-25, he may take a backseat.

In that event, you may find a new favorite Rocket.