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Oregon Basketball: Dillon Brooks has surgery on mysteriously injured foot

By Carmine Carcieri

March 26, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks forward Dillon Brooks (24) moves the ball against Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) during the first half of the West regional final of the NCAA Tournament at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
March 26, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks forward Dillon Brooks (24) moves the ball against Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) during the first half of the West regional final of the NCAA Tournament at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oregon basketball’s Dillon Brooks has an uncertain future due to this looming foot injury.

Dana Altman’s Oregon Ducks have their best chance ever to reach their first Final Four since 1939. They boast the experience they didn’t have in 2015-16, have a deep, talented roster made up of returnees and newcomers, and will have a free flowing, versatile offense.

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But the outlook of the season will drastically change if their star player, Dillon Brooks, is unable to play, is not 100 percent healthy, or misses a big chunk of the season.

Brooks has dealt with a foot injury throughout this offseason and has not participated in any practices or drills.

Things took a turn for the worst on Monday when it was announced that Brooks underwent surgery on the mysterious foot injury last week. There is no update on the timetable and there is zero information on the particulars of the injury.

We don’t know if it’s broken. We don’t know if it’s a Lisfranc injury. We don’t even know if it’s truly a serious injury. Could this be a precautionary surgery so that Brooks can avoid pain in the future? Were the Ducks and Brooks just holding off the surgery to see if a certain rehab regimen worked? Is it a Jones fracture, something that is very difficult to overcome in a short period of time?

Oregon fans are understandably concerned and worried about what could be a disastrous start to one of the best seasons in program history.

Just think about that for a minute. Oregon’s season doesn’t solely rely on Brooks (they do have great depth as mentioned above), but without the talented forward, the team will go from a National Championship contender to a regular top-25 club that will likely fall below Arizona and maybe even UCLA in the Pac-12 standings.

Brooks averaged 16.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game last season for the Ducks. He shot 47 percent from the field and 34 percent from beyond the arc. Beyond the stats, he is the most versatile player on Oregon’s roster, as he has the ability to play both the three and four position at 6’6″.

When Brooks is at the three, he can take smaller defenders into the post and beat them with a plethora of moves. When he’s at the four, he can stretch the defense, force bigger defenders to guard him all the way out to the three point line, and opens up the lane for the Ducks’ guards (Tyler Dorsey and company) to attack off the dribble.

He’s also the leader of the roster and is a player that has performed on the biggest of stages. He scored 25 points in Oregon’s second round NCAA Tournament victory over Saint Joe’s and had the game of his life against Duke in the Sweet 16 when he put up 22 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out six assists.

If Brooks misses significant time, the Ducks are in serious trouble.

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The weight of a championship type season falls on Brooks’ shoulders (or foot for that matter). And it could all tumble down quickly, opening things up at the top of the Pac-12.

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