Aaron Brooks graduated from Franklin High School in Seattle and will be the first local NBA player to be previewed on SeattleBallers.com this off season.  His route to the top has not been an easy one but his tremendous work ethic is evident from his increasing success at each new level.

As a freshman in high school his grades made him ineligible to play and it was not until half way through his first season that he became academically eligible.  Beginning on Junior Varsity he showcased his talents and was quickly moved up to the varsity squad.  He was given the reigns as the teams starting point guard his sophomore year.  Aaron’s results kept skyrocketing and by his senior year he was recognized on the national level by being named to the Mcdonald’s All American Team.  That year Aaron lead his team to a state championship over Adam Morrison’s team from Mead High School in Spokane.  In the final game Aaron Brooks outscored Adam Morrison 38 to 37.  Aaron was not just a basketball player.  Growing up he was a four sport star and even got his number retired for football.  Aaron then made a controversial decision not to go to University of Washington and instead left to University of Oregon where he was a four year starter.   Despite being close friends with Brandon Roy and the rest of the Husky team he was ejected from a game between the two schools for hitting Ryan Appleby in the face.  The situation cooled after Aaron apologized.  There are always connections with the elite talent from Seattle as Brandon Roy and Aaron played on the same team until high school.  ”I thought he would definitely have a shot at the NBA,” Brooks said of Roy. “Me, at my height, I was a little more questionable.”  Aaron Brooks entered the draft after graduating with a degree in political science and was drafted 26th by the Houston Rockets in 2007.

In his third year it was his first season being promoted as a full time starter in the NBA.  It is safe to say he  flourished in this role and ended the season being named the 09-10 NBA’s Most Improved Player.  Aaron proved himself to be a prolific scoring point guard and he finished the season averaging 19.6 points and 5.3 assists a game.   Although his averages were up across every major offensive category the improvement did not all come just this season.  Two seasons ago Aaron was still the backup until Rafer Alston was moved at the trade deadline to make room for Aaron as the starter.  He has been the team’s point guard ever since and his scoring numbers have been on the rise.  The substantial improvement of his play came during the playoffs two seasons ago.  In game four against the Lakers in the Conference Semifinals Aaron Brooks scored a career high 34 points to lead his team to a victory without star center Yao Ming.

Standing at just six feet tall and 160 pounds, Aaron is undersized against most point guards in the league.  What he lacks in stature is made up for with his blazing speed.  There are only a few others in the NBA who can match the speed and scoring that he provides from the point guard position.  The two most common criticisms of his game are his defense and scoring efficiency as his field goal percentage is a bit low for a twenty point scorer.  Aaron is very gritty and his speed is able to make some spectacular plays but his overall size disadvantage gets abused and that is very hard to compensate for on the defensive end of the floor.  His low field goal percentage can be attributed to such a high volume of three point shots and also Aaron being his teams best scorer so the ball is in his hands at the end of the shot clock to create which often yields a low percentage attempt.   Aaron attempted 535 three pointers which was more then any player in the NBA last season.  He shot the three at an astonishing rate of 39%.  He was also one of the few NBA players to play in all 82 games this year.  Aaron Brooks is making Seattle proud by filling up the box score night in and night out for the Houston Rockets.   Next season look for Aaron’s assists, and the Rockets record to rise, as Yao Ming should be healthy from his foot fractures.

Aaron is in for a significant pay increase next year if he stays healthy as he is entering the final year of his contract where he is making around two million dollars.  Aaron Brooks is also represented by Leon Rose who also boasts Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony as clients.

Check out Aaron’s website and obviously follow his twitter

Check out this video of two Seattle legends going head to head guarding each other in an NBA game and lighting up the scoreboard.  Aaron Brooks v. Nate Robinson: