New York Knicks: Dwane Casey compares Enes Kanter to Dennis Rodman

Dwane Casey has nearly 25 years of experience as a coach in the NBA. With that perspective, he compared New York Knicks center Enes Kanter to Dennis Rodman.

The New York Knicks have provided head coach Jeff Hornacek with a balanced distribution of talent. The system is still coming together, but one of the players who has simplified the game for Hornacek has been starting center Enes Kanter.

A leader in the locker room and an offensive force on the court, Kanter has been an unselfish contributor to the cause—and the competition is taking note of it.

Kanter’s greatest skill at this stage of his career is his genuinely elite rebounding ability. He’s a walking double-double machine who makes defenders put in the extra effort to keep him off the glass, no matter who’s shooting from where.

According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey compared Kanter’s rebounding ability to the unrivaled brilliance of Dennis Rodman.

"“Just one guy, I don’t think, is going to box him out by himself because he’s like the old-school Rodman, you know. Rodman goes to the boards, doesn’t even look for his offensive shot and that’s kind of Kanter,” said Casey, whose Raptors held Kanter to 0 offensive boards Saturday. “He has that knack of finding you so we have to make sure we give him multiple bodies and he’s one of the best of the world at the free throw line of just bulldozing his way in and running over whoever’s in front of him to get a rebound. So we’ve got to make sure we put extra special attention to him at the free-throw line.”"

That may be a surprising comparison, but it’s worth noting that Casey has been tasked with attempting to gameplan for both Kanter and Rodman.

Casey first became an NBA assistant coach in 1994 with the Seattle SuperSonics. Just two years later, Casey was helping George Karl figure out how to overcome Rodman and the Chicago Bulls in the 1996 NBA Finals.

In other words: Casey has unique perspective on Rodman’s greatness, thus lending a sense of credibility to the comparison being made.

Casey isn’t stating that Kanter is on the same level as Rodman and his seven rebounding titles, but the fact that he even sees shades of Rodman in Kanter’s game is telling.

As for the numbers, Kanter currently ranks No. 5 in the Association in offensive rebounds per game and No. 12 in total rebounds per contest. That’s quite impressive when one considers the fact that he’s averaging just 26.2 minutes per game.

On a per 36 basis, Kanter jumps to No. 3 in the NBA in offensive rebounding and No. 5 in total rebounding—evidence that supports Casey’s claim.

For those who are surprised to learn of Kanter’s dominance on the boards, don’t be; this is nothing new.

Kanter possesses career averages of 11.5 rebounds and 4.5 offensive rebounds per 36 minutes. Over the course of the past three seasons, he’s pulling down an average of 12.9 rebounds and 5.0 offensive boards per 36.

That uncanny ability to take over a game and dominate the glass has played an instrumental role in Kanter emerging as a coveted center.

Oddly enough, it wasn’t Kanter’s rebounding that hurt the Raptors on Wednesday, Nov. 22. A game after posting 12 points and 16 rebounds against DeAndre Jordan and the Los Angeles Clippers, he dished out five assists and helped anchor the defense against the Toronto Raptors.

The best adjective for the performance may be uncharacteristic, but it was a testament to Kanter’s ability to adapt that he found other ways to influence the game.

Must Read: Should Michael Porter Jr.'s injury influence the Knicks' long-term strategy?

The hope amongst New York Knicks fans is that Enes Kanter can continue to rebound like Dennis Rodman—and potentially defend like him, too.

It’s clearly unrealistic to believe that Kanter will mirror the most versatile defender in league history, but matching Rodman’s intensity should be a goal of every big man in the NBA.