Draymond Green and Dennis Rodman are considered two of the greatest defenders in NBA history. Considered defensive specialists, neither player was required to lead an offense at any moment of time and was instead expected to bring leadership and versatility to their teams. While each player had a different playing style, their impact on the defensive end is shown by the number of championships they each own.
With a combined 9 NBA championships between them, Draymond and Rodman impacted the game at the highest level alongside their teammates. Of course, both players played alongside elite offensive stars, including Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Michael Jordan, and Scottie Pippen, which made up for their lack of shot-creation abilities. Without Green, it is very likely that the Golden State Warriors don’t win as many championships, and neither do the Detroit Pistons or Chicago Bulls on Dennis Rodman’s side. As defensive-minded players, their roles have been respected despite them flying under the radar with regard to the credit they receive from fans and media members/
But which all-time great defensive player has the edge in a career comparison? By comparing the most important individual and team accolades and achievements, it can become clear which Hall of Fame star is held in higher regard. It is very interesting to see the end result because it might lead to some fascinating opinions later on. Here is the ultimate career comparison between Draymond Green and Dennis Rodman.
Championships
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 franchise, the Golden State Warriors. The emotional leader of the franchise and key defensive specialist, Draymond was expected to guard the opposing team’s best players, whether they were forwards or big men. On many occasions, he was forced to pick up guards and ball handlers as well. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson are elite offensive players and get the bulk of the credit for the Warriors’ championships, but Green deserves just as much credit.
Meanwhile, Dennis Rodman won 5 NBA titles with both the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons. Rodman was similar to Draymond in that he had superstar offensive players beside him and focused purely on defense and rebounding. Except for this time, Rodman won more NBA championships than Draymond did. The talented forward won back-to-back championships with the “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons and later won titles with the 3-peat Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. In terms of the number of championships won, Dennis Rodman has the edge.
Advantage: Dennis Rodman
Finals MVP Awards
Draymond Green: 0
Dennis Rodman: 0
Draymond Green won 4 NBA championships but was never the Finals MVP. Some might argue that Green was the most important player during the team’s 2015 title run because of his dominant defense and leadership, but Andre Iguodala won Finals MVP honors. Green played his role spectacularly well nonetheless and deserves credit for each of his rings. But as the third, fourth, or even fifth offensive option on the Warriors during their title runs, Green was never expected to win the Finals MVP award once.
Dennis Rodman had an MVP-like impact on the defensive end, but he had zero chance to win the Finals MVP awards over Joe Dumars, Isiah Thomas, and Michael Jordan. Rodman was always the defensive specialist and never a top-3 scoring option, so his chances of winning Finals MVP were slim to none. The talented forward’s job was to defend multiple positions, rebound, be an irritant, and hustle for loose balls.
Again, Rodman was a star when he played on defense, but he was never a Finals MVP award winner. Because neither player won a Finals MVP trophy, this one is even.
Advantage: Even
MVP Awards
Draymond Green: 0
Dennis Rodman: 0
Draymond Green never won an MVP award in his career because he was never the best player on his team, let alone the best player in the NBA at any moment in time. The 2017 Defensive Player of the Year never had a shot at winning the MVP award because his career scoring average stands at 8.7 PPG, and he has never been a stat-sheet stuffer. Green often gets ridiculed for being a max-level player despite consistently averaging “triple-single” digits every season. But Draymond is the type of player that helps championship-quality sides win it all, and that is why he is not a generic MVP candidate.
Similarly, Dennis Rodman was never a legitimate MVP candidate because he played alongside a host of more talented offensive players, and his scoring was never up to par. Rodman had a career scoring average of 7.3 PPG, and other than his elite rebounding stats, he never jumped out at anyone when looking at box scores. Purely defensive stars without offensive skill sets historically have no chance of winning the MVP award, and Rodman fits into that category quite well.
In the end, there is no difference between the two star players in terms of MVP award wins. Both players never won an MVP award and Draymond Green never will, meaning this category will forever be even.
Advantage: Even
All-NBA Teams
Draymond Green: 2 (1 Second Team, 1 Third Team)
Dennis Rodman: 2 (2 Third Team)
Draymond Green has made 2 All-NBA Teams, with 1 Second Team appearance. That is impressive for a player, once again, who had no offensive skill set and was mainly used to defend multiple positions and hustle for loose balls. But Green was too good in 2016, when he made the All-NBA Second Team, as he posted 14.0 PPG, 9.5 RPG, and 7.4 APG, 1.5 SPG, and 1.4 BPG. His second All-NBA appearance came in 2017 when he won Defensive Player of the Year by posting 10.2 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 7.0 APG, 2.0 SPG, and 1.4 BPG. Overall, Green has 2 All-Defensive Team appearances and might not make another one considering his age.
Dennis Rodman also made 2 All-NBA Team appearances with the Pistons and Spurs, of which both came in the Third Team. Of course, those are solid achievements for a player who never averaged double-digit scoring once in his career. Rodman’s value came on defense, which is why he won two All-Defensive Player of the Year awards and made 8 All-Defensive Team selections. But again, this category is even between the two defensive stars, as each has 2 All-Defensive Team appearances.
Advantage: Even
All-Star Selections
Draymond Green: 4
Dennis Rodman: 2
An all-time great defensive player, Draymond Green has a total of 4 All-Star appearances. The vocal player is one of the most intelligent players ever, and he was able to impact the game for a very long time. As a bona fide All-Star defensive player at his very best, Green impacted the game by defending guards, forwards, and centers. On defense, against bigger or faster players, Green was holding his own. But perhaps another primary reason why the forward made 4 All-Star appearances was that so many fans and media members loved the Golden State Warriors, a side that has captivated audiences for nearly a decade.
Dennis Rodman had a total of 2 All-Star appearances as a member of the Detroit Pistons. While that is short of Green’s number with the Warriors, it is important to mention that this was because the forward played alongside Joe Dumars and Isiah Thomas, which took away from his appearances. It is still a solid achievement for Rodman to make two All-Star Teams, although it might be a tad surprising that he did not make more. But in the end, Green has a significant advantage in All-Star Teams.
Advantage: Draymond Green
All-Defensive NBA Teams
Draymond Green: 7 (4 First Team, 3 Second Team)
Dennis Rodman: 8 (7 First Team, 1 Second Team)
Draymond Green made an impressive 7 All-NBA Defensive Teams, 4 of them coming in the First Team. The versatile defender kickstarted a strong Golden State Warriors defense and was by far the team’s best defensive player. He also made 3 Second Team appearances and has done a great job in terms of getting people to recognize how great he was on defense.
Meanwhile, Rodman made 8 All-Defensive Teams and might have a very important advantage in the career comparison. It seems unlikely that Green will ever make another All-Defensive Team, considering how age is catching up to him. Therefore, it is likely that the man who became known as “The Worm” will have a slight edge in All-Defensive Team selections. Dennis Rodman is one of the most dominant defensive players ever, and that is proven by the number of selections he has.
Advantage: Dennis Rodman
Total Win Shares
Draymond Green: 54.5
Dennis Rodman: 89.8
Win Shares is a statistic that tries to allocate a team’s wins for each player on the roster. For example, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar owns the single-season record for Win Shares with 25.4 during 1971-72 on a Milwaukee Bucks team that won 63 games. In terms of contributing to a winning side and helping his side to win games consistently, Dennis Rodman has an edge in win-share rating over Draymond Green.
Draymond Green’s win share rating is not the highest, mainly because his stats and impact are hardly ever reflected on the box scores. The defensive star also influenced the game in various ways, including being a point-forward and making plays for his sharpshooters, including Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. To be fair, Green won a ton of games over his career because he had those two elite sharpshooters and other excellent players, including Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, and Harrison Barnes, under an all-time great coach in Steve Kerr.
Rodman’s win share rating is definitely higher than Draymond’s because he might have done more than him on the court. The superstar forward still influenced the game in a variety of ways, including arguably the greatest rebounding skill set of all time, which did take away from his offensive game. Rodman won more games than Draymond because he had Michael Jordan by his side for 3 years and because he was a better rebounder than Green and had a greater impact over his career.
Advantage: Dennis Rodman
Career 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 that’s goal is to give each NBA player a comprehensive rating. Hollinger’s PER metric is unique because it combines a player’s positive and negative contributions on the court.
Draymond Green has a pretty solid PER rating of 14.8. Draymond has a positive influence on winning due to his two-way skill set in terms of assisting and playing defense. Green managed to have shooting splits of 44.4% FG, 31.5% 3-PT FG, and 71.2% FT while averaging a career 8.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 5.5 APG. Draymond has never been a consistent shooter or scorer and instead relies on his all-around versatility. But to be fair, Green has solid averages of 1.4 SPG and 1.0 BPG to tell the entire story.
Meanwhile, Dennis Rodman had a PER figure of 14.6, which is quite good considering he had little to no offensive game. Clearly, the forward impacted winning because his dominance on the defensive end of the court is unquestionably great. Averaging 7.3 PPG, 13.1 RPG, and 1.8 APG over his career, Rodman managed to have shooting splits of 52.1% FG and 58.4% FT. The greatest rebounder ever was a stat-sheet stuffer with his boards, but he still has a slight deficit when compared to Draymond Green’s number. Not to mention, being an irritant and getting under players’ skins does not seem to earn a ton of PER points, even if Rodman might have done it better than anyone else in history.
Advantage: Draymond Green
Final Score
Draymond Green vs. Dennis Rodman 2-3
Overall, Dennis Rodman has a career advantage over Draymond Green, and that should not surprise anybody. Rodman is considered a better player than Green when taking into account his 5 NBA titles, 8 All-Defensive Team selections, 7 rebounding titles, and 2 Defensive Player of the Year awards. Those are alarming achievements for a player who could not shoot a lick and actually never averaged at least 10 PPG in a single season. But with 7 straight rebounding titles between 1992 and 1998, we might never see a player like Dennis Rodman again. Of course, his defensive versatility was heralded because he could lock down guards, forwards, and even centers.
Draymond Green has the edge in All-Star appearances because of playing in the modern era alongside sharpshooters, and his vocal nature allows him to be a massive social media presence as well. Green also has a slight edge in PER, one of the most respected advanced statistics used in the NBA. Draymond is a better shooter than Rodman and a far better passer. Possibly so, Green is also a better scorer because he had higher shooting percentages from three and the free-throw line.
But Rodman has to be respected as an all-time greater player, and this career comparison proves that. If Draymond Green makes at least one more All-Defensive Team selection, he will tie the career comparison at 2-2. But even then, it is hard to argue against Rodman’s 2 Defensive Player of the Year trophies and 7 rebounding titles. As great as Draymond Green has been on defense, Dennis Rodman is just on another level with regard to impact, accolades, and all-around ability as a defensive star.
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