Cross-era · careers 9 years apart

Paul Pierce vs Dennis Johnson

Paul Pierce 1998-2016 · Forward Dennis Johnson 1976-1989 · Guard

Paul Pierce (1998-2016) 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, Paul Pierce was the higher-volume scorer (19.7 points per game to 14.1); adjusted for era they scored at 2.11× and 1.34× their league average respectively; Paul Pierce was the more efficient scorer (56.8% true shooting to 51.1%). Paul Pierce holds the edge on accolades — 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #52 all-time ranking to Dennis Johnson's #59.

Career averages

Paul PierceStatDennis Johnson
19.7 Points / game 14.1
5.6 Rebounds / game 3.9
3.5 Assists / game 5.0
1.3 Steals / game 1.3
0.5 Blocks / game 0.6
44.4% Field goal % 44.6%
36.8% 3-point % 13.3%
80.8% Free throw % 80.0%
56.8% True shooting % 51.1%
1,343 Games played 1,100

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Paul PierceStatDennis Johnson
2.11× Points vs era avg 1.34×
1.37× Rebounds vs era avg 0.89×
1.68× Assists vs era avg 2.00×

Advanced metrics

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

Paul PierceStatDennis Johnson
104.7 Offensive rating —
101.7 Defensive rating —
3.1 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.1% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Paul PierceStatDennis Johnson
18.7 Points / game 17.3
5.8 Rebounds / game 4.3
3.4 Assists / game 5.6
1.2 Steals / game 1.4
0.6 Blocks / game 0.6
42.2% Field goal % 43.6%
35.1% 3-point % 18.5%
82.4% Free throw % 80.1%
170 Playoff games 180

Accolades

Paul PierceStatDennis Johnson
0 MVP awards 0
1 Finals MVP 1
1 Championships 3
10 All-Star selections 5
0 All-NBA 1st Team 1
#52 All-time GOAT rank #59

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