Indiana Pacers

Indiana Pacers: Should Aaron Brooks Have A Bigger Role?

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:57 p.m. ET

Fansided, Luke Duffy/FanSided via Hoops Habit

Aaron Brooks has long been a dependable backup point guard in the NBA, but should he have a bigger role with the Indiana Pacers?

There’s no doubt the Indiana Pacers are not where they’d like to be as an organization right now.

They currently hold a 17-18 record and are clinging on to the last spot on the Eastern Conference playoff bubble.

In Paul George, they have the kind of star player that at least allows them to be competitive every night.

They do, however, have some complimentary players that should secure them a trip to the postseason, but it is how they are used that will determine their final standing.

One area where they have some depth as well is at the point guard position. In Jeff Teague and Aaron Brooks, the Pacers have a tandem here who know their roles perfectly.

Teague is a former All-Star and while his reputation has cooled around the league since coming from the Atlanta Hawks, he is still a top-level player.

Dec 26, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) and Indiana Pacers guard Aaron Brooks (00) go for a loose ball during the second half at the United Center. The Bulls won 90-85. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

On the other hand, it feels like Brooks has been a high-quality backup for a long time now, going back to his time with the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings.

pacers

8 Points, 9 Seconds 1 dFrank Vogel's Success Still Looms Over Nate McMillan and the Indiana Pacers

More headlines around FanSided:

1 d - Dropping Dimes: Jeff Teague's 17 Assists Show Why the Indiana Pacers Traded For Him 1 d - January Will Tell Us Everything We Need to Know About the Indiana Pacers 2d - Myles Turner Helping the Homeless in Indiana Through WARM 2d - Fort Wayne Mad Ants Suffer Defeat to Westchester Knicks 2d - Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers: Five Takeaways from the Bulls LossMore News at 8 Points, 9 Seconds

He’s steady, dependable and will give you consistent play off the bench each night. Moving forward, however, should he actually have a bigger role on this team?

As of now, Brooks is averaging just less than15 minutes a night, averaging 5.8 points and 2.4 assists.

If adjusted per 36 minutes, the production of Brooks (14.2 points and 5.8 assists) is not too far behind that of Teague (17.2 points, 8.6 assists).

Clearly Teague is the better player, that is not up for debate. But allowing Brooks to have some more minutes diversifies the way the Pacers can play.

This is especially true with Teague appearing to regress slightly since coming to Indiana.

So far this season, Teague has shot 28.8 percent from three-point range. For Brooks, that number is a much healthier 34.7 percent.

In fact, Teague has only made five more threes (30) than Brooks (25), despite attempting 28 more shots (104 to the 72 of Brooks).

Not a huge sample size, but when you’ve got the offensive skill set of Paul George and Myles Turner hammering guys in the paint, hitting these threes if they become available is key (all video courtesy of 3ball.io).

The above play is a good example of this. Al Jefferson attracts two men towards him because of his reputation in the paint, allowing Brooks all the time in the world to set his feet and shoot.

Here we have Teague attempting a more difficult long-range effort in the same game.

It doesn’t go in, but in that position and given Brooks’ underrated shooting mechanics, perhaps he would have been better suited to that play.

The Pacers shoot 35.8 percent from distance, currently the 11th-best mark in the league. If Brooks was out there for longer periods, however, perhaps that number could rise.

Sunday night’s easy win over the Orlando Magic was a prime example of this. In 17 minutes, Brooks had 14 points.

He also made two of his three long-range attempts and added two assists and two rebounds for good measure. He finished with a game rating of plus-11.

Teague finished with 12 points and nine assists in 27 minutes, with a game rating of plus-5.

The Magic aren’t a stellar outfit by any means, but Brooks gave his team an offensive spark despite only being given a couple more minutes than usual.

Although his defensive plus/minus of minus-2.1 is far from ideal, it is the best number Brooks has posted in three years.

In comparison to Teague’s number in this category (plus-0.2), Brooks has a lot of catching up to do.

But to watch him on the court is to see a player who is engaged on the defensive end far more than that number would suggest.

This is likely because he is coming off the bench and is introduced to provide a spark on both ends of the court.

But given his size (he is listed at 6-feet), the 32-year-old consistently makes it tough for his man to get in front of him.

Is it true that this defensive pressure usually comes against opposing second units? Yes, but Brooks can only defend the players he’s matched up against.

It is also fair to say that against the more elite guards in this league (and there are plenty of them), he would struggle to contain them for an extended period of time.

More from Hoops Habit

A Player Efficiency Rating of 11.7 (league average 15), does Brooks no favors, especially with Teague posting 19.3 in that category, the second-highest mark of his career.

But Brooks does boast an effective field goal percentage of 49 percent, a better number than Teague’s (46 percent).

Brooks is also nearly automatic from the free throw line and is shooting a career-high 91.3 percent from there.

There is no case that can be made for Aaron Brooks becoming the starting point guard for the Indiana Pacers. Jeff Teague is still by far the better player.

But Brooks has carved a niche spot for himself with this team and he has proven when called upon that he can contribute, particularly offensively.

It is why the Pacers should look at giving him some more minutes and turning to him more when they need some scores in a game.

Perhaps even playing the two together with Brooks off the ball as a spot-up shooter would bring the best out of both guys. They wouldn’t slip massively on the defensive end either.

It could be just the lift this team needs to ensure they finish the regular season strong and go into the postseason with flexibility in how they can beat opponents.