Rockets making Dillon Brooks realization a little too late

So far this season, the Houston Rockets' trade for superstar scorer Kevin Durant has paid massive dividends, rendering them one of the most dominant teams in the Western Conference and giving their offense the major boost they needed to vault them into championship contention.

Yet, in both games that Dillon Brooks has played against Houston this season, he has flashed the intensity and the scoring ability that endeared him so heavily to Rockets' fans in the first place, and, as a result, he has cut through any of the debate that surrounded his time with the team.

Brooks is a player that unequivocally contributes to a winning culture, and sacrificing him was a hefty price to pay in order to bring Durant into the fold.

Dillon Brooks is still the player that Rockets fans fell in love with

In making the trade for Durant, many felt that the Rockets got away with providing a surprisingly limited package to the Phoenix Suns. While Jalen Green and Brooks are certainly good players, each comes with their glaring flaws, and, given the young core that Houston has amassed in recent years, the 10th overall pick in last year's draft was not all that much of a sacrifice to make.

This, therefore, is not a question of whether the Rockets won the Durant trade. He has completely transformed their offense, blowing the lid off of whatever ceiling they were set to encounter with the old iteration of this roster.

However, across the two games that Brooks has played against Houston this season, he's looked excellent, and last night's matchup was just the latest example. Across 31 minutes on the court, Brooks posted 23 points, four rebonds and four assists, going 10-of-24 from the field and playing intense defense throughout the course of the night.

Ultimately, it was not enough for the Suns to avoid a blowout loss. Yet, it was a stark reminder of the type of player that Brooks is.

While there was almost certainly no other salary that would have allowed them to match Durant's, it's hard not ti imagine if Brooks were still on this team. While he would have to accept a much slimmer shot diet, his ability to shoot from the perimeter on a consistent basis and play staunch defense would make him a perfect fit in the backcourt alongside Amen Thompson.

Moreover, having a leader such as Brooks present to help keep the young core focused would be massive in the absence of Fred VanVleet.

Ultimately, this is all firmly in the realm of the hypothetical. Brooks has been dealt to Phoenix, and the Rockets, almost certainly, would not undo the move even if they had the ability to do so.

Yet, games like last night's serve as a stark reminder of what Brooks contributed to Houston's growing culture, and they also serve as opportunity to reflect upon what might have been had the trade played out differently.