When the New York Knicks selected Trevor Keels at No. 42, they added another former Duke player to their roster. And the morning after the 2022 NBA Draft, the Knicks signed former Tar Heel forward Garrison Brooks to an Exhibit 10 contract (a non-guaranteed minimum deal).
Brooks spent the 2021-22 season with the Mississippi State Bulldogs as a graduate transfer, so he wasn’t part of North Carolina’s epic run to the national championship, which means that he also wasn’t on the team when the Tar Heels handed Coach K a loss in his final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium and his last game as Duke’s head coach in the Final Four.
However, Brooks spent four years at North Carolina (where he started in 92 of 96 possible games) and still spends time in Chapel Hill, so there’s now another UNC-Duke rivalry in New York.
But more importantly, the Knicks are getting a six-foot-ten big man who can score at will down low.
Knicks sign former UNC forward Garrison Brooks to an Exhibit 10 contract
This past year, the 22-year-old averaged 10.4 points and 6.6 rebounds in 34 games for the Bulldogs while shooting 45.8% from the field and 34.2% from the 3-point line.
At UNC, Brooks’ best season came in 2019-20 when he averaged a career-high 16.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2 assists in 32 games while shooting 53.5% from the floor. He finished with 12 double-doubles.
Because of his performance, Brooks was named second-team All-ACC and the ACC’s Most Improved Player. Heading into the 2020-21 season, he was named the ACC Preseason Men’s Player of the year.
Brooks worked on his mid-range jump shot throughout his collegiate career, and for his size, he’s a a decent shooter. He averaged more 3-point shot attempts at Mississippi State (0.8-2.2 per game) than he did in his previous four seasons at North Carolina.
He isn’t known to be a shot blocker or active defender, which is something that he can expand upon at the next level.
If he impresses New York’s brass at NBA Summer League, Brooks could end up having a spot on the roster. He’ll have the chance to have his Exhibit 10 contract converted to a two-way before the start of the 2022-23 regular season. Hopefully, things will work out and we’ll get to see more of Brooks moving forward.
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