Dillon Brooks Has New 'Villain' Goal Ahead of Suns Season

The Phoenix Suns' enforcer wants to be smarter ahead of the 2026-27 season.

Apr 14, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks (3) against the Portland Trail Blazers during the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns loved what Dillon Brooks brought to the table in his first season with the organization.

Brooks' scoring output reached a career-high at 20.2 points per night while his defensive prowess and effort brought a strong balance to both ends of the floor. His hustle also helped set the tempo for the Suns in what was an eye-opening season from a Phoenix team that wasn't expected to go anywhere.

Yet Brooks' antics also reached new heights, surpassing the NBA's threshold for technical fouls and triggering a suspension later in the regular season.

In a YouTube video with NBAT2, Brooks was asked what his "villain" goal was for the coming season.

"My villain goal would probably be not to get 17 technical fouls in a season. We'll see if I can save them for the end," he said.

"At least half of them are earned. Some of them are by the same refs, and some of them I don't need to get. Costs my team some wins. So, you know, it's the energy that we live by, so some of them are called for to get your point across."

According to Fox Sports, Brooks led the league in technical fouls. Devin Booker also finished fourth with 12 of his own.

There's a certain style of physicality and grit head coach Jordan Ott wanted to establish in his first season. With that, there's sure to be some extra noise that surrounds their play.

Yet there needs to be a fine line walked each night by the Suns, and specifically Brooks — both he and the team knows it.

"He's been tremendous. We love his energy. We love his competitive spirit. It's lifted our entire group. We feed off of it," Ott said early last season.

"We've talked about it. He's got to get to the edge and not go over. It's with the whole group. It's with myself."

With a Suns team hoping to take the next step in terms of playoff success, Brooks' availability on the court will be the best ability.

There's hope the two sides can come to a contract extension this summer, as Brooks has just one year remaining on his deal.

You can read more about that here.