The Indiana Pacers are close to completing their puzzle of players, with Aaron Brooks close to signing as their backup point guard.
The Pacers made significant changes to their backcourt from last season, shipping off George Hill and trading for Jeff Teague, hoping it adds a little bit more offensive aggression to the point guard position, something Hill has always struggled with. Now it’s time to give Teague someone experienced to allow him to rest here and there, and Brooks does that quite well, even if he regressed a bit last season.
Brooks has been with the Chicago Bulls in the last two seasons, playing 82 games (starting 21) in 2014-2015 and playing in 69 games, all as a backup, last season. His minutes went down accordingly, from 23 to 16.1. Overall, in his two seasons with the Bulls, he averaged 9.6 points and 2.9 assists in 19.8 minutes per game, shooting 41.4% from the field and 37.6% from beyond the arc.
Brooks isn’t a very good defender, but in backup and second lineups that lack playmakers and offense, he’s a nice asset to have. He picks up the pace quite nicely, and usually bonds nicely with one player or two to create a productive 2nd unit tandem like he did with Nikola Mirotic for a while. His per minute numbers show that when looking for quick offense and some fast, athletic basketball for 15-20 minutes a night, Brooks is a good option to have.
The Pacers made the playoffs last year, but couldn’t get past the first round, losing in seven games to the Toronto Raptors. With a new head coach and a somewhat retooled team around Paul George, their expectations are a bit higher this season. Brooks made $2 million last season with the Bulls.