With more than 670 NBA games to his name, Hawks import Aaron Brooks just knows when to put it on the leash - and when to let it off.

You can bet he knows what time it is as his new club prepares for their season-opener against Brisbane in Wollongong on Sunday.

"It may not look like it but I try to lead with example," Brooks said.

"When I step on the court I might be laughing but I play hard, I get up on defence and I bring it every game.

"You can smile and joke and do all that but you've got to be intense when it's time to get down."

His 28 points against Sydney in the Hawks final preseason hit-out last week is a case in point - though he wasn't interested in talking that up this week.

"We lost so that's not the form I want," Brooks said when asked about the outing.

"We've got to do a lot better opening games and finishing games and playing together as a team. You've got to do what you've got to do to win games. I didn't do that [last week], nobody did that.

"I want to win, it sounds cliched but winning's what's most important. I know everybody's ready to play, we're tired of beating on each other, tired of losing and we want to get out there and see what we've really got."

The Hawks had a mixed preseason campaign, dropping two games to Melbourne United but picking up wins over Perth and South-East Melbourne ahead of last week's meeting with the Kings.

Even with his wealth of NBA experience, Brooks was impressed by how fiercely contested preseason matches were, a pleasant surprise after spending a year out of the game.

"I don't even think NBA [preseason] games are that intense," Brooks said.

"We were playing hard and wanting to win, starters were playing. I can only imagine what the season's going to be like.

"The fact these [games] count makes you bit more eager to get out there and play little bit more aggressively and a little more flowing.

"We've got a good group of guys, practices have been really intense and we've been getting after it. It's competitive and everyone wants to win so it's been fun.

"We're deep at every spot and we've got guys challenging each other to get minutes. When you're doing that you're only getting better."

Brooks had a 20-point night in the Hawks overtime win over Perth at the NBL Blitz and 15 in limited minutes against United before dropping 28 last week.

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That form, and his extensive resume, has seen him touted as an MVP candidate though coach Matt Flinn says his star import's most impressive quality since arriving in Wollongong has been a staunch team-first mentality.

"He's certainly a great player and he's going to be fun to watch," Flinn said when asked about Brooks' MVP chances.

"Whether he's MVP, there's so many great players in this league and if you ask Aaron his total focus will be team-orientated and then whatever individual accolades come next.

"If he plays to the level that he's capable of, and the level we've seen from him at practice, and we put him spots where he can be successful, there's no question he can be in the very top echelon of players in this league."