DJ Rodman knows all too well what comes with his name: The son of NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman was among six players to take part in the Warriors' pre-draft workout on Thursday, taking him back to his early basketball days.
Not as a little kid shooting shots with his dad, but as a 10-year-old watching his dad play on TV, more than a decade after Rodman last played in the NBA.
“People don't know that he wasn't a part of my life that much,” Rodman told reporters at Chase Center and media members over Zoom. “I remember watching the Hardwood Classics on NBA TV when I was a little kid.”
“It was pretty cool going back to when I was little and watching that footage and studying it almost every day. They played that game almost every day. I learned my rebounding from that video and that game.”
At 6'7″, Dennis is arguably the best rebounder in NBA history. At 6'6″, DJ averaged 4.2 rebounds per game over his five-year college career. They are two completely different people, two completely different players. Dennis made 82 three-pointers over his 14-year NBA career. DJ made 89 three-pointers over his final two years of college.
Rodman spent his first four collegiate seasons at Washington State University and finished at the University of Southern California. He played in just 12 games during his first three years, averaging 3.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 32.7% three-point shooting. But over his final two years, he played in 58 of 63 games and averaged 29.5 minutes, 9.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 37.2% three-point shooting. He played primarily as an undersized 4 due to his improved toughness and rebounder.
Offensively, Rodman has become a strong spot-up shooter. Now he wants to show teams he can be more aggressive on the offensive end. Rodman said he's “improved significantly” with every team he's worked out with so far and wants to showcase his skills more as a wing.
But to do that, Rodman and his agent, Tyrell Jamerson of Triple Double Sports, agreed that he needed to change his shot. Don't let the last name fool you: Rodman is self-taught. He didn't have a personal trainer, and his game was far from perfect.
“I like to watch myself jump when I take a jump shot,” Rodman said, “and when I shoot, I look like a basketball player.”
Rodman previously joked that he jumped “maybe two inches” when taking shots at USC, and he likened his past shooting style to that of Chantelle Osahol, who shot 37.2 percent from the 3-point line as a senior at the University of Washington despite her feet being glued to the court.
Despite their differences as players, the inherent traits father and son shared were unmistakable when Rodman spoke about his own game. Rodman spoke of rebounding as a science, not an athletic skill. Rodman expressed a desire to guard the opposing team's leading scorer and took pride in finding a way to guard numbers one through five in college, to confuse and trouble opponents.
A dog? There it is.
“The irony is, it's in my blood,” Rodman acknowledged. “It's true, it's in my blood. But other than that, I feel like it's things I can control game-by-game. I can't control whether I make shots or not. I can control the level of effort I put in defensively.”
“Stopping your opponent or stopping one of the other team's best players gives your team the best chance to win.”
Stephen Curry. Klay Thompson. Andrew Wiggins. And so many others over the years.
The Warriors have a long history of success with players with NBA pedigrees, and Rodman could be next.
“It went really well, although I was a little tired,” Rodman said of his training with the Warriors. “A lot of running, but it was fun. I need somebody to kick my ass and wake me up a little bit. It was awesome. I had a good time.”
Rodman didn't take a one-year stab at the position like some of his USC teammates with more famous names. DJ's path, like his father's, was a long one to get to the NBA. For reasons that have nothing to do with his name, Rodman believes his path and continued growth will allow him to be successful with the Warriors or any team at the next level.
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