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Dennis Rodman and Draymond Green were both elite defenders and integral parts of two of the NBA’s greatest dynasties. Here is a comparison between the two legends.
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Draymond Green and Dennis Rodman are considered two of the greatest defenders in NBA history. Considered defensive specialists, neither player needs to lead the offense at any point, but is expected to bring leadership and versatility to their teams. While each player has a different style of play, their impact on the defensive end can be seen in the number of championships they each have.
Draymond and Rodman, combined for nine NBA titles, impacted the game at the highest level along with their teammates. Of course, both players make up for what they lack in shot creation by playing alongside elite offensive stars like Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Golden State probably wouldn’t have won as many titles without Green, nor would Dennis Rodman’s Detroit Pistons or Chicago Bulls. Their roles are respected as defensive-minded players, though the accolades they receive from fans and members of the media are less well known/
But which of the all-time great defensive players has an edge in career comparisons? By comparing the most important individual and team honors and achievements, it becomes clear which Hall of Famer is more valued. It’s very interesting to see the end result, as it may lead to some interesting opinions later. Here’s the ultimate career comparison between Draymond Green and Dennis Rodman.
championship
Draymond Green: 4 (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022)
Dennis Rodman: 5 (1989, 1990, 1996, 1997, 1998)
Draymond Green won an incredible 4 NBA Championships with one team, the Golden State Warriors. As the team’s emotional leader and key defensive specialist, Draymond is expected to guard the opposing team’s best players, whether they’re forwards or big men. He’s also been forced to take over at linebacker and ball handler in many situations. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson are all good offensive players who contributed most of the credit to the Warriors’ championship, but Green deserves just as much credit.
Meanwhile, Dennis Rodman won five NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons. Rodman is similar to Draymond in that he surrounds himself with superstar offensive players and focuses on defense and rebounding. Except this time, Rodman has won more NBA titles than Draymond. The talented forward won back-to-back championships with the “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons and later with the three-peat Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. In terms of the number of championships, Dennis Rodman is even better.
Advantage: Dennis Rodman
Finals MVP Award
Draymond Green: 0
Dennis Rodman: 0
Draymond Green has won 4 NBA championships, but has never been a Finals MVP. Some might argue that Green was the most important player in the team’s 2015 title run, as his defense and leadership dominated, but Andre Iguodala earned Finals MVP honors. Still, Green has played his role brilliantly and deserves credit for every one of his rings. But Green was never expected to win a single Finals MVP award as the Warriors’ third, fourth and even fifth offensive option during their championship run.
Dennis Rodman has an MVP-like impact on the defensive end, but his chances of winning the Finals MVP award in front of Joe Dumars, Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan are zero. Rodman has always been a defensive specialist and has never been a top-three scoring option, so his chances of winning Finals MVP are slim. The talented forward’s job is to defend multiple positions, rebound, cause trouble and steal the ball.
Likewise, Rodman was a star on defense, but he never won a Finals MVP award. Since no player has ever won the Finals MVP trophy, this one is tied.
Advantage: uniform
MVP awards
Draymond Green: 0
Dennis Rodman: 0
Draymond Green has never won an MVP award during his career because he has never been the best player on a team, let alone the best player in the NBA at any point in time. The 2017 Defensive Player of the Year never had a chance to win an MVP, as he averaged 8.7 points per game in his career and was never a stat-packer. Green was often mocked for being a top player despite consistently averaging “triple digits” per game each season. But Draymond is the type of player who helps championship teams win everything, which is why he’s not your average MVP candidate.
Likewise, Dennis Rodman was never a legitimate MVP candidate because he played with many more talented offensive players and his scoring was never up to par. Rodman has a career average of 7.3 points per game, and aside from his stellar rebounding numbers, he’s never been great against anyone when looking at the stats. Historically, pure defensive stars with no offensive skills have had no chance at the MVP award, and Rodman fits that category perfectly.
In the end, there was no difference between the two star players in terms of MVP awards. Neither player has ever won an MVP, and Draymond Green never will, meaning the category will always be flat.
Advantage: uniform
All-NBA Team
Draymond Green: 2 (1 second team, 1 third team)
Dennis Rodman: 2 (2 third team)
Draymond Green was selected to the All-NBA team 2 times and was selected to the second team 1 time. That’s impressive again for a player with no offensive skills who is mostly used to defending multiple positions and stealing the ball. But Green was too good in 2016, when he was named to the All-NBA Second Team, averaging 14.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. His second All-NBA selection came in 2017, when he won Defensive Player of the Year with averages of 10.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.4 blocks. Overall, Green has 2 All-Defensive selections and probably won’t make another given his age.
Dennis Rodman was also a two-time All-NBA selection with the Pistons and Spurs, both on the third team. Of course, those are solid accomplishments for a player who has never averaged double figures in scoring in his career. Rodman’s value lies in defense, which is why he won the Defensive Player of the Year Award twice and was selected to the All-Defensive Team eight times. But again, this category falls between even two defensive stars, as they each had 2 All-Defensive Team appearances.
Advantage: uniform
all star selection
Draymond Green: 4
Dennis Rodman: 2
As the greatest defensive player in history, Draymond Green has a total of 4 All-Star selections. The vocal player is one of the smartest ever and he is able to impact the game over a long period of time. A true All-Star defender, Green impacted the game at his best through defensive backs, forwards and centers. Defensively, Green has held his own against bigger or faster players. But perhaps another major reason the forward is a four-time All-Star is that so many fans and members of the media love the Golden State Warriors, a team that has captivated crowds for nearly a decade.
Dennis Rodman has a total of 2 All-Star appearances as a member of the Detroit Pistons. While that’s less than Green’s stats with the Warriors, it’s worth noting that it’s because the forward played alongside Joe Dumars and Isiah Thomas, which took away his playing time. Rodman’s two-time All-Star selection is still a remarkable achievement, though it might be a little surprising that he didn’t make more. But in the end, Green had a significant edge in the All-Star roster.
Advantage: Draymond Green
Best Defensive NBA Team
Draymond Green: 7 (4 first-team, 3 second-team)
Dennis Rodman: 8 (7 first-team, 1 second-team)
Draymond Green’s impressive seven selections to the NBA’s All-Defensive Team included four first-team appearances. The versatile guard started Golden State’s strong defense and is by far the team’s best defender. He also made three second-team appearances and has done a good job of bringing awareness to his defensive prowess.
At the same time, Rodman was selected to the All-Defensive Team 8 times, which may have a very important advantage in career comparison. Considering that age is catching up to him, it seems unlikely that Green will be named to the All-Defensive Team again. Therefore, the man known as “The Worm” is likely to have a slight advantage in the selection of the All-Defensive Team. Dennis Rodman is one of the most dominant defensive players of all time, and the number of picks he has is a testament to that.
Advantage: Dennis Rodman
total win share
Draymond Green: 54.5
Dennis Rodman: 89.8
Win Shares is a statistic that attempts to assign a team’s wins to each player on the roster. For example, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the Milwaukee Bucks to 63 wins in 1971-72 and set a single-season win shares record with 25.4. Dennis Rodman has an edge over Draymond Green in win shares when it comes to contributing to winning teams and helping his teams win consistently.
Draymond Green doesn’t have the highest win share percentage, mostly because his stats and impact are barely reflected in the stats. The defensive star also impacted the game in a variety of ways, including as a forward and playing for sharpshooters like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. To be fair, Green has won a lot of games in his career because he has these two elite sharpshooters and other good players, including Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala and Harrison Barnes, And Steve Kerr’s all-time great coach.
Rodman’s win share rate is definitely higher than that of Chaser, because he may have more performance on the court than Chaser. The superstar forward still impacts the game in various ways, including arguably the greatest rebounding game of all time, which really takes a toll on his offense. Rodman won more games than Draymond because he had Michael Jordan by his side for 3 years, because he rebounded better than Green and had a bigger impact on his career.
Advantage: Dennis Rodman
Pro Player Efficiency Rating
Draymond Green: 14.8
Dennis Rodman: 14.6
Player Efficiency Rating, better known as PER, is a statistic created by John Hollinger with the goal of providing an overall rating for every NBA player. Hollinger’s PER metric is unique because it combines a player’s positive and negative contributions on the field.
Draymond Green has a PER of 14.8. Due to his two-way skills in assists and defense, Draymond has a positive impact on winning. Green is shooting 44.4 percent from the field, 31.5 percent from three-point range and 71.2 percent from the free-throw line, while averaging career averages of 8.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists. Draymond has never been a consistent shooter or scorer, relying instead on his overall versatility. But to be fair, Green’s solid 1.4 SPG and 1.0 BPG per game speak for themselves.
Meanwhile, Dennis Rodman has a PER of 14.6, which is pretty good considering he barely plays an offensive game. Clearly, the striker affected the win, as his dominance on the defensive end of the court was undeniably enormous. Rodman has career averages of 7.3 points, 13.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 52.1 percent from the field and 58.4 percent from the free-throw line. The greatest rebounder of all time is a sheet filler in his rebounding stats, but still falls short of Draymond Green’s numbers. Not to mention, annoying players and annoying players doesn’t seem to earn many PER points, even though Rodman has probably done it better than anyone else in history.
Advantage: Draymond Green
final score
Draymond Green vs. Dennis Rodman 2-3
Overall, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Dennis Rodman has a career advantage over Draymond Green. Rodman is…
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