Cross-era · careers 9 years apart

Dirk Nowitzki vs Dennis Johnson

Dirk Nowitzki 1998-2018 · Forward Dennis Johnson 1976-1989 · Guard

Dirk Nowitzki (1998-2018) and Dennis Johnson (1976-1989) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 9 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Dirk Nowitzki was the higher-volume scorer (20.7 points per game to 14.1); adjusted for era they scored at 2.17× and 1.34× their league average respectively; Dirk Nowitzki was the more efficient scorer (57.7% true shooting to 51.1%). Dirk Nowitzki holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #25 all-time ranking to Dennis Johnson's #59.

Career averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatDennis Johnson
20.7 Points / game 14.1
7.5 Rebounds / game 3.9
2.4 Assists / game 5.0
0.8 Steals / game 1.3
0.8 Blocks / game 0.6
46.6% Field goal % 44.6%
37.9% 3-point % 13.3%
87.4% Free throw % 80.0%
57.7% True shooting % 51.1%
1,522 Games played 1,100

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dirk NowitzkiStatDennis Johnson
2.17× Points vs era avg 1.34×
1.82× Rebounds vs era avg 0.89×
1.14× Assists vs era avg 2.00×

Advanced metrics

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

Dirk NowitzkiStatDennis Johnson
105.9 Offensive rating —
105.4 Defensive rating —
0.6 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.1% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatDennis Johnson
25.3 Points / game 17.3
10.0 Rebounds / game 4.3
2.5 Assists / game 5.6
1.0 Steals / game 1.4
0.9 Blocks / game 0.6
46.1% Field goal % 43.6%
36.2% 3-point % 18.5%
89.2% Free throw % 80.1%
145 Playoff games 180

Accolades

Dirk NowitzkiStatDennis Johnson
1 MVP awards 0
1 Finals MVP 1
1 Championships 3
14 All-Star selections 5
4 All-NBA 1st Team 1
#25 All-time GOAT rank #59

More comparisons

Want a different matchup? Use the interactive comparison tool.