Cross-era · careers 20 years apart

Dennis Johnson vs James Harden

Dennis Johnson 1976-1989 · Guard James Harden 2009-2025 · Guard · active

Dennis Johnson (1976-1989) and James Harden (2009-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 20 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, James Harden was the higher-volume scorer (24.0 points per game to 14.1); adjusted for era they scored at 1.34× and 2.39× their league average respectively; James Harden was the more efficient scorer (64.1% true shooting to 51.1%). James Harden holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP and the #41 all-time ranking to Dennis Johnson's #59.

Career averages

Dennis JohnsonStatJames Harden
14.1 Points / game 24.0
3.9 Rebounds / game 5.6
5.0 Assists / game 7.3
1.3 Steals / game 1.5
0.6 Blocks / game 0.6
44.6% Field goal % 43.8%
13.3% 3-point % 36.5%
80.0% Free throw % 86.0%
51.1% True shooting % 64.1%
1,100 Games played 1,221

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dennis JohnsonStatJames Harden
1.34× Points vs era avg 2.39×
0.89× Rebounds vs era avg 1.35×
2.00× Assists vs era avg 3.21×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Dennis Johnson's era.

Dennis JohnsonStatJames Harden
— Offensive rating 115.0
— Defensive rating 109.4
— Net rating 5.5
— Usage % 28.6%
— Assist % 34.7%
— Rebound % 7.9%

Playoff averages

Dennis JohnsonStatJames Harden
17.3 Points / game 22.5
4.3 Rebounds / game 5.5
5.6 Assists / game 6.5
1.4 Steals / game 1.6
0.6 Blocks / game 0.6
43.6% Field goal % 43.0%
18.5% 3-point % 34.7%
80.1% Free throw % 86.5%
180 Playoff games 173

Accolades

Dennis JohnsonStatJames Harden
0 MVP awards 1
1 Finals MVP 0
3 Championships 0
5 All-Star selections 10
1 All-NBA 1st Team 6
#59 All-time GOAT rank #41

More comparisons

Want a different matchup? Use the interactive comparison tool.