Brooks: “I’d average 20 points with the minutes”

Never short on confidence. Brooklyn Nets backup guard MarShon Brooks remains confident in his abilities, telling Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News that he could average 20 points per game with the proper minutes:

Bench-dwelling and inconsistency haven’t cracked the confidence of MarShon Brooks, whose two-year career has traveled through the NBA wringer – from rookie revelation to sixth man to bench warmer to trade chip.

“I still believe in myself,” Brooks said. “I still believe if I got the minutes I could score 20 points per game.”

Brooks is averaging 16.8 points per 36 minutes this season on 46.8% shooting from the field, but averaging just 10.9 minutes per game through 48 contests this season. He has improved on most of his per-possession stats this season after a solid rookie year.

Brooks later told Bondy that “I don’t really mind where I play basketball, I just want more of an opportunity than this year,” before noting that he’d love to have the opportunity to play in Brooklyn, which he called “the best situation in the NBA.”

Brooks is not the first Nets backup guard to exude similar confidence — two years ago, former Nets guard Sasha Vujacic infamously said he could “score 20 or 30 points anytime (he) want(s).”