Dennis Rodman is both a Detroit Pistons and a Chicago Bulls legend as he won championships with both teams.
That’s why, once upon a time, he was seen as the perfect guy to compare the young rising Derrick Rose with his championship teammate, Isiah Thomas. It’s an interesting comparison because both of them are Chicago natives.
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That being said, Rodman could tell which of the two legendary point guards was the better player. Contrary to what some may have expected given his nature, The Worm didn’t come up with a lazy analysis. Instead, Rodman broke down Zeke and D-Rose’s skill sets and answered it the way he saw it.
According to Rodman, Thomas was the better point guard between the two. However, he ultimately picked Rose over his former Bad Boys teammate in terms of overall attributes.
“I think Isiah had more of a point guard mentality as far as distributing the ball,” Rodman assessed. “He was more like a Harlem Globetrotter-type of guard. He was also one of the toughest guys I’ve played with.”
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“Derrick is more like a pit bull,” he weighed in. “He gets out there and it’s boom, boom, boom. He’s like a speed racer out there. Derrick Rose’s ability is probably more enhanced than Isiah’s.”
Isiah on who’s better between him and D-Rose
Thomas himself was also asked the same question once. Admittedly, Isiah admires D-Rose both as a player and as a fellow Chicago native. However, Thomas couldn’t say that Rose was better than him.
Thomas argued that, as much as he was impressed by his game, he also knew what he was capable of as a player during his time. However, Zeke acknowledged that D-Rose was more athletic and explosive.
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Despite that, Thomas further explained that as far as competing goes, he would put his money on himself against D-Rose. He may not be gifted with Rose’s athleticism and scoring prowess, but he knew well how to win and beat his rivals with his basketball IQ.
“He jumped higher than me [laughs]. He jumped higher than me… My game was always mental, though,” Thomas once said of D-Rose. “My game was, I’m gonna take all your physical genetic gifts away. Yeah, you’re bigger, you’re taller, you run faster. Okay, that’s good. But now, can you play basketball? And can we play in this box and can you think your way for two and a half hours through this game? Can you out-concentrate me? Yeah, that was a nice dunk. Yeah, you jumped really hard, but okay, now that’s over. Let’s get back to playing basketball.”
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“Can you out-scheme me? Can you out-think me? Can you out-discipline me? Can you out-concentrate me? Do you not make mistakes because I’m not gonna make none, right? And every time you make one, you’re going to pay for it,” he pointed out.
Thomas and D-Rose are in the same category
The Isiah vs. D-Rose comparison is rarely talked about as a truly interesting subject of discussion. Moreover, it’s really hard to pick between the two as they had a lot of similarities and differences as well.
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In terms of recognition and accomplishments, Thomas has two NBA titles to his name, while Rose has a season MVP on his resume, something that Zeke never won during his playing years. However, Thomas won the Finals MVP in 1990.
Rose had a different style of play than Thomas. He earned his points by attacking the basket and was the go-to guy of his team on the offensive end. On the other hand, Thomas has always been his team’s floor general.
As for their impact on the game, both Thomas and Rose are in the same category.
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Their names are among the greatest point guards in NBA history and they’re also the two best players to ever come from Chicago.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.