In 1993, Dennis Rodman played his last game as a Detroit Piston. After seven seasons and 2 defensive player of the year awards, His time in the motor city had come to an end. 8 years later his defensive IQ, lightning fast reflexes, over the top hustle and extreme intensity were reincarnated in a young Isaiah Stewart. The world didn’t know it yet, but Stewart was headed toward becoming the next great Piston Legend. The new age Dennis the Menace.
The New Rodman?
Now to be fair…this is a lot of pressure to put on one young man. Especially one who is only in his second year. However, after evaluating each player’s game and comparing them, it’s clear that the resemblance exists. From the way that they both fight tooth and nail for rebounds, to the somewhat controversial news stories that surround them. These players are more identical than we realize, and I’m not the only one who’s noticed.
- Cody Taylor of the “Rookie Wire” reported a statement from Pistons Head Coach, Dwayne Casey: “He is a young Dennis Rodman type,” Casey said this week. “I’m not going to call him Dennis Rodman but that type of mentality of going and getting the ball. He is active, and doesn’t stop just because you box him out. He continues to move and move his feet in a legal way. A lot of times, young players will grab and hold, he does it with his feet and his intensity. It’s great to see, that’s who he is.”
- Writer Dan Riley of Sports Illustrated.com, wrote a similar article also quoting the piston coach and adding in his own ideas to the mix.
These stories and more shed light on the topic at hand, that Beef Stew is poised to be the next Rodman. Possibly even better than him, Like KG said: “Anything is possible”.
Less than…
Obviously, Rodzilla is a Hall of Famer and an all-time great. To compare a young buck to a legend is sort of a stretch. Rodman played 14 seasons and in that time had led the league in rebounds 7 times, won 5 rings, had the most rebounds per game 7 years straight, had the most offensive boards in the league 6 years(5 in a row) and top 10 for 11 years, 5th all-time in offense rebounding and even had some MVP win shares. So clearly this Stewart kid has his work cut out for him. Though, with the mad dog mentality he possesses when fighting in the post for boards, he is well on his way to filling the shoes of the Piston legend.
Equal to
Isaiah Stewart already has a reputation for being aggressive, sometimes overly, and tenacious on the offensive and defensive glass. He’s very strong and has been highly regarded for his hustle and persistence in games. These are all the same traits possessed by former NBA superstar Dennis Rodman. Rodman, one of the members of the notorious “Bad Boys Pistons” of the late 80’s- early 90’s was as mean as they come. Sometimes his attitude outshined his talent. This is something that can be correctly attributed to “Beef Stew” as well.
He is a live wire with a chip on his shoulder. Stew even powered through a hoard of people just to get his hands on LeBron James ( The King of Basketball, and Face of the league) after a bloody altercation at the free throw line. He had people calling for his immediate expulsion post incident. He’s known to get a little rowdy in the paint and makes no friends in-game especially not with opposing bigs. The resemblance in size, strength and personality are evident, but the stats further paint the picture as well.
Isaiah Stewart and Dennis Rodman Stats:
Stewart is only in his second year so showing averages is a flawed tactic. However, showing the similarities in both of their second seasons should start to sway the non-believers.
- In year number 2: Stew currently averages: 8.5 RBG
- Rodman in year 2 averaged 8.7 RBG
- In year number 2: Stew currently averages 3.2 ORB and 5.2 DRB
- In Rodman’s second year he averaged 3.9 ORB and 4.8 DRB
- Both average similar FG%
Greater than
I won’t say the Stewart will be better than Rodman. Especially not after such a small sample size. Yet, I will state that until the day he retires and is no longer capable of accumulating stats and winning awards, anything is plausible. He already is a much more skilled shot blocker than Dennis and has the capability pass a little better than him as well. Now all he needs is to put in the work and shoot for the stars. Someday he could be hanging in the rafters of Little Caesar’s Arena.
Only time will tell.
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