True, but Hakeem had a similar level of defensive dominance in that he individually had better statistics than Howard and his team's defense was at or near the top because of him. Then there's the fact that Olajuwon is getting more steals than all but 7 others in all of history as a center, which adds to his unprecedented versatility for a center, defensively or offensively.
The thing is that Hakeem just didn't truly have that Pippen. Otis Thorpe would be getting checked by Rodman. Stick Pippen on their best wing scorer/shooter. Hakeem would have his way, but Jordan would as well, even moreso. Both were incredibly clutch, but Jordan in general is of another level in terms of general stats/ability.