Joakim Noah

Major League Baseball has the designated hitter; the NFL has placekickers and punters. In the NBA, there are defensive specialists and players who are inserted into the game are certain times to fulfill a role. Let’s focus on one of those roles: the “designated rebounder.”

Last season Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls came the closest to this title when he had a season with 646 rebounds and 485 points, the only player in the league with 600+ rebounds and less than 500 points in the 2014-15 season. He became the 28th player in NBA history to have at least one season with these numbers.

When we look at the other players who reached these numbers, the title of “designated rebounder” would probably most fit former player Dennis Rodman, a Hall of Famer. He had six seasons with these numbers, more than twice the number of any other player in the league:

Most seasons with 600-plus rebounds and less than 500 points

6: Dennis Rodman

3: Chris Dudley, Reggie Evans, Jeff Foster, George Johnson, Ben Wallace

Rodman is also the only player in league history to have over 1,000 rebounds in a season with less than 500 points. He did three times with three different teams: 1992-93 with Detroit (1132 rebounds, 468 points), 1993-94 with San Antonio (1367 rebounds and 370 points) and 1997-98 with the Chicago (1201 rebounds and 375 points).

Last season was the third straight year that a player reached these numbers; Golden State’s Andrew Bogut did in 2013-14 and Reggie Evans did it with the Brooklyn Nets in 2012-13.

Let’s take a look at one other stat: 600 or more assists and less than 500 points. Those numbers have been reached only one time in NBA history. In 1988-89, Charlotte’s Mugsy Bogues had 620 assists and 423 points, the only time in league history that a player had 600-plus assists and less than 500 points in a season.

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