Phil Jackson Says J.R. Smith Might Be “A Little Bit Like Dennis Rodman”

Phil Jackson’s ability to forge unity is legendary. Perhaps more influential than his strategic prowess as a coach was Jackson’s unique capacity to mold some of basketball’s biggest personalities into players who put the team ahead ahead of themselves. Jackson’s most challenging and perhaps rewarding project was Dennis Rodman, the basketball savant and rebounding maven who was as notorious for his singular talent as much as his volcanic in-game and off-court attitude. And guess which New York Knick Jackson recently compared to The Worm? That’s right, J.R. Smith.

In a two-part, must-read interview with Steve Serby of the New York Post, the Zen Master was asked about Smith and mentioned Rodman without prompt.

Q: How do you plan to try to get through to J.R. Smith to put an end to all his immature on- and off-the-court antics?
A: I don’t know if that’s possible or not. He might be one of those guys that’s a little bit like Dennis Rodman that has an outlier kind of side to him. But I’m gonna get to know him as we go along, and we’ll find a way to either make him a very useful player on our organization, or whatever.

Now, Jackson stops short of saying Smith carries Rodman’s mindset completely – the “might” and “a little bit” qualifiers here are important. But it’s still clear that Jackson sees at least a loose correlation between the two, and it’s not hard to glean why: Smith and Rodman are talented; they make questionable decisions of many varieties; and they are their own worst enemy on the basketball court.

If Jackson can tap into Smith’s psyche with the success he did Rodman’s, it will prove a great boon for the Knicks. Smith has a player option for 2015-2016 that will likely depend on he performs this season. Should Smith rebound from a disappointing campaign last year and play at his exalted level of late in 2012-2013 or anything close to it, Jackson’s influence will likely be the cause, and he’ll surely lock-up Smith for the long-haul.

We’re not saying Smith’s strides would help New York to one championship, of course, let alone a three-peat. But we love when players reach their utmost capabilities, and Jackson’s rehabilitation of Smith’s game would be a major victory in its own right.

What do you think?

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