The Last Dance: 3 big takeaways from episodes 3 and 4

Rodman is known as somewhat of a character but was a big reason for Chicago’s success

Dennis Rodman is built up as a novelty but there’s no question that he was one of the most important factors in Chicago’s success during their second three-peat. Especially during the 1997-98 season, with Scottie Pippen out for the start of the season, Michael Jordan and the Bulls relied on Rodman to help carry the load.

He helped spark the team after their lackluster start and was the team’s defined leader on the defensive end. Rodman gave an interesting insight into how he developed into one of the best rebounders in NBA history. One night, perhaps on multiple occasions, Rodman asked his friends to take some shots on the court. Rodman then calculated how the ball would rim off while hitting different spots. He tracked the ball and tried to perfect the craft.

In essence, Rodman wanted to know where he needed to be to have the best chance of getting every rebound. Rodman didn’t average any less than 15 rebounds per game during his three seasons with the Bulls.

You can whatever you want about the person that Rodman was off the court, but there’s no question that he was an extremely productive and impactful player on the floor.