The desire to behave like a warrior on the field? “ It's in my blood, ironically. It's true. It's in my blood », must recognize the one who failed to grow up to the rhythm of the exploits of his father, Dennis Rodman.
Born in 2001, the year the former Bulls legend was done with the big league, DJ Rodman has appropriated this heritage… thanks to the small screen. “ People don't know that he wasn't really a part of my life. It's cool, I remember when I was little watching Hardwood Classics (editor’s note: the greatest matches in history) on NBA TV “, formulates the young man.
The latter adds: “ It's cool to look back on those memories when I was little and watch those clips and see that this is something I studied almost every day. Almost every day they played one of these matches. The sense of rebound is where it comes from, from these videos, from these matches. »
Five years at university
However, rebounding does not have the same place in his game as that of his illustrious father, considered the best rebounder in history. In five college seasons, four at Washington State then one at USC, DJ averaged 4 catches in 23 minutes. Where his father, at Oklahoma State, was already gorging on the subject with 16 rebounds per game.
The comparison between the two is not always obvious. DJ, who averaged 9 points in his last two years of college, is capable of punishing from afar unlike his father. He thus signed three seasons with at least 36% success behind the arc, shooting several times from this distance per game.
“ I look like a basketball player when I shoot “, blurts out the one who “ love » watching each other shoot up. His qualities earned him an invitation to a training session this Thursday by the Warriors, alongside five other young players ahead of the upcoming Draft.
Beyond shooting, the innate traits shared by father and son are unmistakable when DJ Rodman talks about rebounding as a science, not an athletic feat.
“Woke up” among the Warriors
Also, the son of Dennis Rodman expresses his desire to defend against the best opposing scorer and assures that he was able to defend on all positions at university, finding ways to get into the head of his opponent.
“ I feel like it's something I can control from one night to the next. We cannot control the fact that shots come in. You can control the level of effort on defense, giving your team the best opportunity to win by stopping one of the opposition's best players », judges the young man who not mentioned in ESPN's mock draft.
What convince the Warriors to keep an eye on him? One thing is certain, he loved this “work-out”: “ It went well, it kicked my butt a little. We ran a lot. I had a good time. You need someone to kick your butt and wake you up a little. » Dennis Rodman will not say the opposite.
