Dennis Johnson vs. Sam Perkins Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Sam Perkins and Dennis Johnson, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season / Games against each other

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

Dennis Johnson played 14 years in the NBA, 3 less than Sam Perkins, who played 17. Dennis Johnson had the first of his seasons in 1976-77, while Sam Perkins had his rookie season in 1984-85. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
Dennis Johnson 14 13 1976-77 to 1989-90
Sam Perkins 17 15 1984-85 to 2000-01

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17

Rookie Season

Dennis Johnson Sam Perkins
Season 1976-771984-85
Team Seattle SupersonicsDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Rookie First Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayMavericks Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 81 20.6 9.2 2.0 1.7 3.7 1.5 1.5 0.7 - 2.7 3.5 7.0 .504 - - - 2.2 3.5 .624
Sam Perkins 82 28.3 11.0 2.3 5.1 7.4 1.6 0.8 0.8 1.2 2.9 4.2 9.0 .471 0.1 0.4 .250 2.4 3.0 .820
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson ------- --- ----------
Sam Perkins 4 42.3 18.8 4.0 8.8 12.8 2.8 0.5 0.3 0.8 3.3 6.0 12.3 .490 0.3 1.0 .250 6.5 8.5 .765

Season 2

Dennis Johnson Sam Perkins
Season 1977-781985-86
Team Seattle SupersonicsDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Supersonics Lost NBA FinalsMavericks Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 81 27.3 12.7 1.9 1.8 3.6 2.8 1.5 0.6 2.0 2.6 4.5 10.9 .417 - - - 3.7 5.0 .732
Sam Perkins 80 32.8 15.4 2.4 6.1 8.6 1.9 0.9 1.2 1.8 2.7 5.7 11.4 .503 0.1 0.4 .333 3.8 4.7 .814
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 22 37.6 16.1 2.1 2.5 4.6 3.3 1.0 1.0 2.5 2.9 5.5 13.4 .412 - - - 5.1 7.2 .704
Sam Perkins 10 34.7 14.9 3.0 5.3 8.3 2.4 0.9 1.4 1.6 3.2 5.7 13.3 .429 0.2 0.8 .250 3.3 4.3 .767

Season 3

Dennis Johnson Sam Perkins
Season 1978-791986-87
Team Seattle SupersonicsDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionMavericks Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 80 34.0 15.9 1.8 2.9 4.7 3.5 1.3 1.2 2.4 2.6 6.0 13.9 .434 - - - 3.8 4.9 .781
Sam Perkins 80 33.6 14.8 2.5 5.2 7.7 1.8 1.4 1.0 1.7 3.4 5.8 12.0 .482 0.2 0.7 .352 3.1 3.7 .828
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 17 40.1 20.9 2.6 3.5 6.1 4.1 1.6 1.5 3.0 3.7 8.0 17.8 .450 - - - 4.9 6.4 .771
Sam Perkins 4 33.3 17.0 3.0 5.5 8.5 1.3 1.0 0.3 2.3 4.0 6.5 13.0 .500 0.0 1.0 .000 4.0 5.8 .696

Season 4

Dennis Johnson Sam Perkins
Season 1979-801987-88
Team Seattle SupersonicsDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Supersonics Lost West Conf FinalsMavericks Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 81 36.3 19.0 2.1 3.0 5.1 4.1 1.8 1.0 2.8 3.3 7.1 16.8 .422 0.1 0.7 .207 4.7 6.0 .780
Sam Perkins 75 33.3 14.2 2.7 5.3 8.0 1.6 1.0 0.7 1.6 3.0 5.3 11.7 .450 0.1 0.4 .167 3.6 4.4 .822
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 15 38.8 17.1 1.7 2.6 4.3 3.8 1.8 0.7 2.9 3.2 6.7 16.3 .410 0.3 1.0 .333 3.5 4.1 .839
Sam Perkins 17 33.6 13.5 2.3 4.3 6.6 1.8 1.5 1.0 1.8 3.0 5.2 11.5 .451 0.1 0.4 .143 3.1 3.9 .803

Season 5

Dennis Johnson Sam Perkins
Season 1980-811988-89
Team Phoenix SunsDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 79 33.1 18.8 2.0 2.6 4.6 3.7 1.7 0.8 2.6 3.1 6.7 15.4 .436 0.1 0.6 .216 5.2 6.3 .820
Sam Perkins 78 36.7 15.0 3.0 5.8 8.8 1.6 1.0 1.2 1.8 2.9 5.7 12.3 .464 0.1 0.5 .184 3.5 4.2 .833
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 7 38.1 19.6 1.0 3.7 4.7 2.9 1.3 1.3 2.7 2.6 7.4 15.7 .473 0.1 0.7 .200 4.6 6.0 .762
Sam Perkins ------- --- ----------

Season 6

Dennis Johnson Sam Perkins
Season 1981-821989-90
Team Phoenix SunsDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf SemisMavericks Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 80 36.7 19.5 1.8 3.4 5.1 4.6 1.3 0.7 2.9 3.2 7.2 15.4 .470 0.1 0.5 .190 5.0 6.2 .806
Sam Perkins 76 35.1 15.9 2.8 4.8 7.5 2.3 1.2 0.8 1.9 3.0 5.7 11.6 .493 0.1 0.4 .214 4.3 5.6 .778
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 7 38.7 22.3 1.9 2.6 4.4 4.6 2.1 0.6 3.6 4.0 9.0 18.9 .477 0.0 0.4 .000 4.3 5.6 .769
Sam Perkins 3 39.3 15.0 3.3 4.0 7.3 2.7 1.0 0.7 2.3 5.7 5.3 12.0 .444 0.0 0.3 .000 4.3 5.7 .765

Season 7

Dennis Johnson Sam Perkins
Season 1982-831990-91
Team Phoenix SunsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf 1st RdLakers Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 77 33.1 14.2 1.2 3.2 4.4 5.0 1.3 0.5 2.6 2.6 5.2 11.2 .462 0.1 0.4 .161 3.8 4.8 .791
Sam Perkins 73 34.3 13.5 2.3 5.1 7.4 1.5 0.9 1.1 1.4 3.4 5.0 10.2 .495 0.2 0.9 .281 3.1 3.8 .821
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 3 36.0 18.0 2.0 5.7 7.7 5.7 1.7 0.7 2.7 3.0 7.3 16.0 .458 0.0 0.3 .000 3.3 4.0 .833
Sam Perkins 19 39.6 17.7 2.2 6.1 8.3 1.7 0.8 1.4 1.9 3.6 6.4 11.6 .548 0.6 1.6 .367 4.4 5.7 .761

Season 8

Dennis Johnson Sam Perkins
Season 1983-841991-92
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 80 33.3 13.2 1.1 2.4 3.5 4.2 1.2 0.7 2.2 3.1 4.8 11.0 .437 0.1 0.4 .125 3.5 4.1 .852
Sam Perkins 63 37.0 16.5 3.0 5.8 8.8 2.2 1.0 1.0 1.3 3.0 5.7 12.7 .450 0.2 1.1 .217 4.8 5.9 .817
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 22 36.7 16.6 1.4 2.2 3.6 4.4 1.1 0.3 2.4 3.4 5.9 14.5 .404 0.1 0.3 .429 4.7 5.5 .867
Sam Perkins ------- --- ----------

Season 9

Dennis Johnson Sam Perkins
Season 1984-851992-93
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Lakers, Seattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA FinalsSupersonics Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 80 37.2 15.7 1.1 2.8 4.0 6.8 1.2 0.5 2.7 2.8 6.2 13.3 .462 0.1 0.3 .269 3.3 3.8 .853
Sam Perkins 79 29.8 13.1 2.1 4.6 6.6 2.0 0.8 1.0 1.4 2.8 4.8 10.1 .477 0.3 0.9 .338 3.2 3.9 .820
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 21 40.4 17.3 1.1 2.9 4.0 7.3 1.5 0.4 3.4 3.1 6.8 15.2 .445 0.0 0.7 .000 3.8 4.4 .860
Sam Perkins 19 32.9 14.4 1.7 5.3 7.0 1.9 1.0 1.3 1.1 2.9 5.2 11.8 .436 1.6 4.2 .380 2.5 2.9 .873

Season 10

Dennis Johnson Sam Perkins
Season 1985-861993-94
Team Boston CelticsSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionSupersonics Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 78 35.0 15.6 0.9 2.6 3.4 5.8 1.4 0.4 2.2 2.6 6.2 13.6 .455 0.1 0.5 .143 3.1 3.8 .818
Sam Perkins 81 26.8 12.3 1.5 3.0 4.5 1.4 0.8 0.4 1.3 2.4 4.2 9.6 .438 1.2 3.3 .367 2.7 3.4 .801
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 18 39.7 16.2 1.3 2.9 4.2 5.9 2.2 0.3 2.8 3.2 6.1 13.6 .445 0.3 0.9 .375 3.7 4.7 .798
Sam Perkins 5 28.2 9.8 1.2 6.0 7.2 0.8 0.8 0.4 1.2 3.0 2.8 8.4 .333 1.2 2.8 .429 3.0 3.4 .882

Season 11

Dennis Johnson Sam Perkins
Season 1986-871994-95
Team Boston CelticsSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA FinalsSupersonics Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 79 37.1 13.4 0.6 2.7 3.3 7.5 1.1 0.5 2.2 2.5 5.4 12.1 .444 0.1 0.8 .113 2.6 3.2 .833
Sam Perkins 82 28.7 12.7 1.2 3.7 4.9 1.6 0.9 0.5 0.9 2.3 4.2 9.0 .466 1.7 4.2 .397 2.6 3.3 .799
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 23 41.9 18.9 1.0 2.9 4.0 8.9 0.7 0.3 1.9 3.1 7.3 15.7 .465 0.1 1.1 .115 4.2 4.9 .850
Sam Perkins 4 35.3 13.5 1.5 6.3 7.8 3.3 0.8 1.3 2.3 3.0 5.3 12.0 .438 2.5 5.5 .455 0.5 0.5 1.000

Season 12

Dennis Johnson Sam Perkins
Season 1987-881995-96
Team Boston CelticsSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsSupersonics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 77 34.7 12.6 0.8 2.3 3.1 7.8 1.2 0.4 2.5 2.6 4.6 10.4 .438 0.2 0.6 .261 3.3 3.9 .856
Sam Perkins 82 26.5 11.8 1.2 3.2 4.5 1.5 1.0 0.6 1.0 2.1 4.0 9.7 .408 1.6 4.4 .355 2.3 2.9 .793
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 17 41.3 15.9 0.9 3.6 4.5 8.2 1.4 0.5 2.6 3.0 5.4 12.4 .433 0.4 0.9 .375 4.8 6.1 .796
Sam Perkins 21 31.1 12.3 1.0 3.3 4.3 1.7 0.7 0.3 1.4 2.1 4.3 9.3 .459 1.5 4.1 .368 2.2 2.9 .754

Season 13

Dennis Johnson Sam Perkins
Season 1988-891996-97
Team Boston CelticsSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf 1st RdSupersonics Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 72 32.1 10.0 0.4 2.2 2.6 6.6 1.3 0.3 2.4 2.9 3.8 8.9 .434 0.1 0.7 .140 2.2 2.7 .821
Sam Perkins 81 24.4 11.0 0.9 2.8 3.7 1.3 0.9 0.6 1.0 1.7 3.6 8.2 .439 1.5 3.8 .395 2.3 2.8 .817
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 3 19.7 2.7 0.7 0.7 1.3 3.0 1.0 0.0 1.0 2.7 1.3 5.0 .267 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 -
Sam Perkins 12 28.3 8.4 1.3 3.2 4.4 1.3 1.0 1.0 1.1 2.8 2.6 7.7 .337 1.2 3.8 .311 2.1 2.4 .862

Season 14

Dennis Johnson Sam Perkins
Season 1989-901997-98
Team Boston CelticsSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf 1st RdSupersonics Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 75 27.1 7.1 0.6 2.0 2.7 6.5 1.1 0.2 1.6 2.4 2.7 6.3 .434 0.0 0.3 .042 1.6 1.9 .843
Sam Perkins 81 20.7 7.2 0.7 2.5 3.1 1.4 0.8 0.4 0.8 2.0 2.4 5.8 .416 1.1 2.7 .392 1.2 1.6 .789
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 5 32.4 13.8 0.4 2.4 2.8 5.6 0.4 0.4 2.0 3.4 6.0 12.4 .484 0.4 1.2 .333 1.4 1.4 1.000
Sam Perkins 10 21.0 5.4 0.6 2.6 3.2 1.4 0.3 0.5 1.1 2.2 1.6 4.2 .381 1.0 2.4 .417 1.2 2.0 .600

Season 15

Dennis Johnson Sam Perkins
Season -1998-99
Team -Indiana Pacers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Pacers Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson ------- --- ----------
Sam Perkins 48 16.4 5.0 0.8 2.1 2.9 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.5 1.5 1.7 4.2 .400 0.7 1.9 .389 0.9 1.3 .717
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson ------- --- ----------
Sam Perkins 13 11.2 4.1 0.2 1.8 1.9 0.5 0.0 0.2 0.5 1.0 1.4 2.7 .514 0.8 1.8 .458 0.5 0.7 .667

Season 16

Dennis Johnson Sam Perkins
Season -1999-00
Team -Indiana Pacers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Pacers Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson ------- --- ----------
Sam Perkins 81 20.0 6.6 0.8 2.8 3.6 0.8 0.4 0.4 0.8 1.7 2.3 5.4 .417 1.1 2.7 .408 1.0 1.2 .825
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson ------- --- ----------
Sam Perkins 23 18.2 4.8 0.7 2.4 3.2 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.3 2.0 1.5 4.6 .324 1.0 2.9 .348 0.8 0.9 .905

Season 17

Dennis Johnson Sam Perkins
Season -2000-01
Team -Indiana Pacers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Pacers Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson ------- --- ----------
Sam Perkins 64 15.6 3.8 0.5 2.1 2.6 0.6 0.5 0.3 0.3 1.0 1.3 3.5 .381 0.6 1.7 .345 0.5 0.6 .842
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson ------- --- ----------
Sam Perkins 3 6.7 1.7 0.3 1.0 1.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.7 2.7 .250 0.3 1.3 .250 0.0 0.0 -