Charles Barkley draws a parallel between Draymond Green and Dennis Rodman
Charles Barkley compares Dennis Rodman to Draymond Green
Draymond Green is the heart and soul of the Golden State Warriors; a variation on the theme of Dennis Rodman's role for the Chicago Bulls. But according to Charles Barkley, the comparison between the two goes even further.
Barkley compares Green to Rodman
During the latest episode of "The Draymond Green Show," current TNT NBA Analyst, who had his fair share of battles with Rodman throughout the 90s, expanded on the similarities between two undersized power forwards. He described them both as the ultimate "love to have them on your team, hate to play against them" players.
You remind me a lot of Dennis Rodman. Like I wanna play with you, you'd be annoying as fu*k to play against.
"I saw Dennis at the 75 thing, we hugged each other like brothers," Barkley continued. "He's somebody I really like a lot and respect, you the same way. It would be annoying to play against you."
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The similarities between the two
Barkley isn't the first to draw a parallel between Green and Rodman. James Worthy did it, favoring The Worm over the Warriors forward. Steve Kerr also did it, but instead of giving the edge to either, he praised them both for providing the edge for their respective teams.
Now, Barkley never got to play with either. However, what he said about Dennis is in line with Kerr's words about one of the game's best rebounders. Skillset aside, that was the most valuable thing Rodman brought to the Bulls -- his tone-setting toughness and unmatched mentality on the floor, especially on the defensive end.
"You're trying to concentrate on basketball, and now he made it personal. Instead of you just playing basketball I'm trying to go at him, I'm trying to go at Dennis every play now."
Green is for sure a better passer than Rodman. He's not a great shooter, but he's definitely a bigger threat to score from the outside than Dennis ever was. However, none of those is the thing that makes Draymond the heart and soul of the Warriors; his hustle, defensive presence, and leadership are.
The same goes for Rodman. Aside from being the greatest rebounder the league has ever seen -- seven straight seasons of leading the NBA -- his impact was never measured through the box score. The Worm did all the dirty work, and Draymond is doing the same thing for Golden State.
All of their differences skill-wise are by-products of their respective eras. Green has more finesse to his game, and Rodman is a tougher, more imposing presence on the court. But at their core, both Dennis and Draymond are similar players, ones you'd "love to have on your team, but hate to play against."
