“His IQ was unbelievable” — Former Chicago Bulls forward Scott Burrell on what Dennis Rodman was like on the court

Burrell explained that there was more to Rodman than his all-time great defense and rebounding ability

Dennis Rodman is regarded as one of the best defenders and rebounders in NBA history. But there are some underrated aspects of his game no one really talks about. However, his former teammate Scott Burrell did.

Burrell on Rodman

Burrell played for the Chicago Bulls in 1997-98 and averaged 5.2 points and 2.5 rebounds in 80 games as a reserve forward. He retired from the NBA in 2001 and is the current head coach of the Southern Connecticut Owls.

The one-time NBA champion also played with the Hornets, Warriors, and Nets during his eight years in the league. However, his best years were in Chicago, where he shared a locker room with The Worm. He talked about it during his appearance on the 'Scoop B Radio' podcast.

“It was so competitive in practice," Burrell said. "He would disappear once a week, I think. Once every couple days or week, so that was the only thing different about Dennis. But Dennis was such a great player. He watched so much film. He took care of his body. He lifted weights before games. I mean, he was so dedicated to being a great player."

"To watch him go to work, and not even try to look to score, but still dominate a game defensively and rebounding, it was amazing someone could do that without trying to score. His knowledge of the game – his IQ was unbelievable,” Burrell added.

There’s no one like Rodman in today’s NBA

Burrell explained how Rodman dominated games without scoring and why no one in the league today can be compared to him.

“No one. Nobody. Scoring is everything to these guys. Dennis didn’t even want to score," Burrell said. "So I would say there is really no one like that. And no one can get 30 rebounds, or 25 rebounds or 20 rebounds a game. Well, it’s different because they let guys get rebounds. You had to go get rebounds back then.”

Not everything Rodman did on the court appeared on the box score; his mind games helped the Bulls dominate many teams, and Burrell described the genius behind them.

“Dennis always did something to get under people’s skin. But it was a great tactic. He got guys off their games, got them thinking – I remember what he did to Frank Brickowski. I wasn’t playing with the Bulls at the time, but I know what he did to Frank Brickowski against Seattle and got him thrown out the game a few times. He was always an agitator, he was great at his craft, and he played mental games with a lot of people,” Burrell noted.

His eccentric personality aside, Rodman really was a great basketball player. He was also much more than an all-time great defender and rebounder. And while many people won't give him credit for it, Burrell did.