If there was an award for the EuroLeague’s most improved player of the year, Armoni Brooks would be a legitimate contender for the trophy. While his statistical growth in the Italian league can be considered “normal”—from 15.5 to 19.6 points per game on average, from 65.8 percent two-point shooting to the current 76.9 percent (and honestly, difficult to sustain over the long haul)—in the EuroLeague, he’s made a decisive leap forward. In his last eight EuroLeague games, Brooks has averaged 14.1 points per game on 52.1 percent three-point shooting, doubled his assists (from 0.8 a year ago, to 1.7 now) and almost his rebounds too (from 2.0 to 3.6). His consistency over the last month and a half has been a huge factor: after scoring in double figures in just one of his first five outings, Brooks has done so seven times in his last eight games (while making at least two threes per game in each of those seven games). Meanwhile, he has scored at least twenty points five times in his last seven outings, including four consecutive 20+ games.

Brooks, a Texan from Austin, who considers Keith Langford a mentor and owes much to University of Houston coach Kelvin Sampson, has established himself as a shooter in his first year and a half in Europe. But he doesn’t consider himself a natural born shooter. His athleticism (crystal clear when he soars for a rebound in traffic or dunks) allowed him to dominate games at McNeill High School, using the power of his legs, only. The turning point came when he entered college: as the competition level increased, he discovered that jumping higher or running faster didn’t allow him to have the same impact. So working on his shot became the next mission. In Milan, too, he has improved compared to his first few appearances because he was able to combined his three-point shooting prowess with the ability to dribble drive and finish, while finding impossible angles at the rim or even using a floater.

In the EuroLeague, he’s making 2.5 threes per game, but of all the players averaging more than two threes made per game, only Tim Luwawu-Cabarrot and Antonio Blakeney have a better shooting percentage than his 45.1 percent.

What hasn’t changed is his habit of coming off the bench. As it was customary for him in Houston. “I’ve always tried to follow the Coach’s wishes, to do what was most needed in order to win a game. I’ve never let points, minutes, or being a starter get in the way of my performance on the court. And by coming off the bench, you have a better understanding of ​​what needs to be done to win a game,” he explains. He said it in college when Coach Sampson claimed he would be the ideal husband for his daughter (Armoni is married with three children, sorry Coach), and he repeats it now in Milan, while being of the fan favorite players.

Armoni Brooks by the numbers