Former UW Standout Brooks Has Career NBA Outing

Getting his opportunity to play in New Orleans, he's making the most of it.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (15) shakes hands with ex-Husky forward Keion Brooks Jr., who had a big night. / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The NBA continues to look good on Keion Brooks.

On a Sunday night across the league in which former University of Washington basketball players Isaiah Stewart got ejected for fighting, Mattise Thybulle went scoreless and Jaden McDaniels had a 2-point outing, Brooks was the big show.

A Husky senior just a year ago, the 6-foot-7 Brooks came off the bench for the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night and turned in a career outing in a 98-94 victory over the Charlotte Hornets with17 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks.

"God put me here to maximize the best of my abilities," he told reporters afterward. "It's been a dream to do this and it's worked out well."

Brooks has had to do it the hard way, going undrafted and being forced to prove himself in the G League first.

However, he's turned in seven NBA games now, including a start, as the Pelicans have given him full opportunity to audition in real time.

Against the Hornets, he connected on 7 of 12 shots from the floor, 1 for 4 from 3-point range, and pulled 26 minutes for his second-longest outing of the season.

For the most part, Brooks always has resembled a future NBA player with his smooth style when he spent three seasons at Kentucky and two more at the UW.

He's just needed to show he could shoot the 3-pointer with higher accuracy and play a rougher brand of basketball required in the pros, and he's done that.

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