Cross-era · careers 29 years apart

Dennis Johnson vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Dennis Johnson 1976-1989 · Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 2018-2025 · Guard · active

Dennis Johnson (1976-1989) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2018-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 29 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the higher-volume scorer (25.3 points per game to 14.1); adjusted for era they scored at 1.34× and 2.37× their league average respectively; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the more efficient scorer (70.3% true shooting to 51.1%). Dennis Johnson holds the edge on accolades — 3 championships, 1 Finals MVP and the #59 all-time ranking to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's #68.

Career averages

Dennis JohnsonStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
14.1 Points / game 25.3
3.9 Rebounds / game 4.7
5.0 Assists / game 5.3
1.3 Steals / game 1.4
0.6 Blocks / game 0.8
44.6% Field goal % 50.4%
13.3% 3-point % 35.9%
80.0% Free throw % 85.1%
51.1% True shooting % 70.3%
1,100 Games played 530

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dennis JohnsonStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
1.34× Points vs era avg 2.37×
0.89× Rebounds vs era avg 1.12×
2.00× Assists vs era avg 2.19×

Advanced metrics

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

Dennis JohnsonStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
— Offensive rating 112.7
— Defensive rating 111.4
— Net rating 1.3
— Usage % 33.4%
— Assist % 35.0%
— Rebound % 7.0%

Playoff averages

Dennis JohnsonStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
17.3 Points / game 25.8
4.3 Rebounds / game 5.4
5.6 Assists / game 5.7
1.4 Steals / game 1.4
0.6 Blocks / game 1.0
43.6% Field goal % 46.6%
18.5% 3-point % 36.1%
80.1% Free throw % 86.7%
180 Playoff games 46

Accolades

Dennis JohnsonStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
0 MVP awards 2
1 Finals MVP 1
3 Championships 1
5 All-Star selections 3
1 All-NBA 1st Team 4
#59 All-time GOAT rank #68

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