Monday night, he almost committed a flagrant foul, was rude, and irritated Jarred Vanderbilt of the Lakers. It worked; Vanderbilt was removed early in the second quarter of the Lakers game in Houston.

Brooks pushed Vanderbilt in the air during a dunk, and Vanderbilt fell badly. This is what made Vanderbilt angry. It was later decided to be a common foul. I believe that any foul involving a player in the air is harmful and should be flagrant, but that’s not what happened here.

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A minute later, Vanderbilt and Brooks were battling for a rebound. Brooks pushed Vanderbilt, reportedly in the back of the head. Vanderbilt then shoved Brooks back and got called for retaliation (it’s always the retaliation). That was the first technical foul. The second one was Vanderbilt trying to touch Brooks in the back of the head, which got him sent to the showers.

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Vanderbilt is too important to this team for him to do something that could get him kicked off. Darvin Ham feels like he can’t move up because Lakers fans want him to be a player. Four Lakers starts are sure to play: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, and D’Angelo Russell. 

Vanderbilt would be a good fifth player on defense, but opponents will help off of him, leaving less room for LeBron and others to move. That’s why Ham starts Taurean Prince, who has shot 38.9% from three this season and spreads the floor to make it easier for the team to score. While the Lakers would love to trade for a player who could do both, 29 other teams would also be interested. This is why 3&D wings are so valuable.