Rockets' Brooks criticizes former team: Grizzlies 'have no swagger'

Dillon Brooks is ready to face his former team.

The Houston Rockets wing criticized his previous squad, the Memphis Grizzlies, ahead of his first matchup against them on Wednesday after his abrupt exit from the franchise last offseason.

"You can see now they have no swagger," Brooks told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

"We have swagger. We have an identity we're building. Each and every game, we show it more and more. That's what I want for my guys. That's what I want for each and every guy on the floor: to play their best basketball."

Brooks spent the first six seasons of his career with the Grizzlies after being picked in the second round of the 2017 draft. Last season, the Canadian wing made headlines due to his feud with LeBron James in the playoffs, including calling the Los Angeles Lakers star "old" and getting ejected for hitting him in the groin.

After L.A. eliminated Memphis from the playoffs, the franchise reportedly informed Brooks that he wouldn't be re-signed under any circumstances. He decided to ink a deal with the Rockets at the beginning of free agency, a reported four-year, $80-million contract.

Since joining Houston, the veteran wing has rediscovered his shooting touch - averaging 13.9 points on a super-efficient 50.8% field-goal percentage - while helping lead the Rockets to a 6-6 record. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies are 3-10, ranking 13th in the conference amid Ja Morant's suspension.

Brooks likened his exit from the franchise to the ending of a romantic relationship.

"It's like the girlfriend that you used to have," said Brooks. "You don't know how good she is until she's gone."

"I don't worry about the past. I'm here building a future with these guys," he added. "I'm here for another three years (after this season) and then some. I want to get the Rockets back to the playoffs and the Rockets to be one of the best teams."