Joel Embiid vs. Marques Johnson Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Marques Johnson and Joel Embiid, 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

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.

Joel Embiid played 8 years in the NBA, 3 less than Marques Johnson, who played 11. Joel Embiid had the first of his seasons in 2016-17, while Marques Johnson had his rookie season in 1977-78. 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
Joel Embiid 8 7 2016-17 to 2023-24
Marques Johnson 11 6 1977-78 to 1989-90

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11

Rookie Season
Joel Embiid Marques Johnson
Season 2016-171977-78
Team Philadelphia 76ersMilwaukee Bucks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Rookie First TeamAchievement All-Rookie First Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayBucks 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 %
Joel Embiid 31 25.4 20.2 2.0 5.9 7.8 2.1 0.9 2.5 3.8 3.6 6.5 13.8 .466 1.2 3.2 .367 6.2 7.9 .783
Marques Johnson 80 34.6 19.5 3.7 6.9 10.6 2.4 1.2 1.3 2.2 2.8 7.9 15.1 .522 - - - 3.8 5.1 .736
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Embiid ------- --- ----------
Marques Johnson 9 35.7 24.0 3.9 8.6 12.4 3.4 1.1 1.9 1.6 2.8 9.3 17.0 .549 - - - 5.3 7.1 .750

Season 2
Joel Embiid Marques Johnson
Season 2017-181978-79
Team Philadelphia 76ersMilwaukee Bucks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs 76ers Lost East 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 %
Joel Embiid 63 30.3 22.9 2.3 8.7 11.0 3.2 0.6 1.8 3.7 3.3 8.1 16.8 .483 1.0 3.4 .308 5.7 7.4 .769
Marques Johnson 77 36.1 25.6 2.8 4.9 7.6 3.0 1.5 1.2 2.2 2.4 10.6 19.4 .550 - - - 4.3 5.7 .760
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Embiid 8 34.8 21.4 2.9 9.8 12.6 3.0 0.9 1.8 3.6 3.9 7.5 17.3 .435 1.0 3.6 .276 5.4 7.6 .705
Marques Johnson ------- --- ----------

Season 3
Joel Embiid Marques Johnson
Season 2018-191979-80
Team Philadelphia 76ersMilwaukee Bucks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second TeamAchievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf SemisBucks 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 %
Joel Embiid 64 33.7 27.5 2.5 11.1 13.6 3.7 0.7 1.9 3.5 3.3 9.1 18.7 .484 1.2 4.1 .300 8.2 10.1 .804
Marques Johnson 77 34.9 21.7 2.8 4.5 7.4 3.5 1.3 0.9 2.4 2.2 8.9 16.5 .544 0.0 0.1 .222 3.8 4.8 .791
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Embiid 11 30.4 20.2 1.9 8.5 10.5 3.4 0.7 2.3 3.6 3.1 6.2 14.5 .428 1.1 3.5 .308 6.7 8.2 .822
Marques Johnson 7 43.3 19.9 2.4 4.4 6.9 2.9 0.7 0.9 1.1 2.9 7.7 18.3 .422 0.1 0.4 .333 4.3 5.7 .750

Season 4
Joel Embiid Marques Johnson
Season 2019-201980-81
Team Philadelphia 76ersMilwaukee Bucks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf 1st RdBucks Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Embiid 51 29.5 23.0 2.8 8.9 11.6 3.0 0.9 1.3 3.1 3.4 7.5 15.7 .477 1.1 3.4 .331 6.9 8.5 .807
Marques Johnson 76 33.4 20.3 3.0 3.9 6.8 4.6 1.5 0.5 2.5 2.6 8.4 15.2 .552 0.0 0.1 .000 3.5 5.0 .706
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Embiid 4 36.3 30.0 2.8 9.5 12.3 1.3 1.5 1.3 3.8 4.5 8.5 18.5 .459 1.0 4.0 .250 12.0 14.8 .814
Marques Johnson 7 38.0 24.7 5.9 3.6 9.4 4.9 1.4 1.0 1.9 2.0 10.7 19.3 .556 0.0 0.1 .000 3.3 4.6 .719

Season 5
Joel Embiid Marques Johnson
Season 2020-211981-82
Team Philadelphia 76ersMilwaukee Bucks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf SemisBucks Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Embiid 51 31.1 28.5 2.2 8.4 10.6 2.8 1.0 1.4 3.1 2.4 9.0 17.6 .513 1.1 3.0 .377 9.2 10.7 .859
Marques Johnson 60 31.7 16.5 2.6 3.5 6.1 3.6 1.0 0.6 2.4 2.4 6.7 12.7 .532 0.0 0.1 .000 3.0 4.3 .700
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Embiid 11 32.5 28.1 1.5 9.1 10.5 3.4 1.0 1.5 3.8 3.0 9.2 17.9 .513 1.5 3.7 .390 8.3 9.9 .835
Marques Johnson 6 39.2 18.8 3.8 3.5 7.3 3.3 1.0 0.3 2.0 4.2 7.3 16.7 .440 0.2 0.7 .250 4.0 7.0 .571

Season 6
Joel Embiid Marques Johnson
Season 2021-221982-83
Team Philadelphia 76ersMilwaukee Bucks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf SemisBucks 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 %
Joel Embiid 68 33.8 30.6 2.1 9.6 11.7 4.2 1.1 1.5 3.1 2.7 9.8 19.6 .499 1.4 3.7 .371 9.6 11.8 .814
Marques Johnson 80 35.7 21.4 2.5 4.6 7.0 4.5 1.3 0.7 2.5 2.6 9.0 17.8 .509 0.1 0.3 .200 3.3 4.5 .735
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Embiid 10 38.5 23.6 2.1 8.6 10.7 2.1 0.4 0.8 3.2 3.4 7.8 16.1 .484 0.7 3.3 .212 7.3 8.9 .820
Marques Johnson 9 42.4 22.0 3.1 4.9 8.0 4.2 0.9 0.8 2.3 2.4 9.4 19.4 .486 0.0 0.1 .000 3.1 4.8 .651

Season 7
Joel Embiid Marques Johnson
Season 2022-231983-84
Team Philadelphia 76ersMilwaukee Bucks
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf SemisBucks 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 %
Joel Embiid 66 34.6 33.1 1.7 8.4 10.2 4.2 1.0 1.7 3.4 3.1 11.0 20.1 .548 1.0 3.0 .330 10.0 11.7 .857
Marques Johnson 74 36.7 20.7 2.3 4.1 6.5 4.3 1.6 0.6 2.4 2.6 8.7 17.4 .502 0.0 0.2 .154 3.3 4.6 .709
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Embiid 9 37.3 23.7 1.8 8.0 9.8 2.7 0.7 2.8 3.9 3.0 7.3 17.0 .431 0.6 3.1 .179 8.4 9.3 .905
Marques Johnson 16 37.8 20.3 1.8 3.5 5.3 3.4 1.1 0.4 2.7 3.1 8.1 17.1 .473 0.1 0.3 .250 4.1 5.6 .722

Season 8
Joel Embiid Marques Johnson
Season 2023-241984-85
Team Philadelphia 76ersLos Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Embiid 39 33.6 34.7 2.4 8.6 11.0 5.6 1.2 1.7 3.8 2.9 11.5 21.8 .529 1.4 3.6 .388 10.2 11.6 .883
Marques Johnson 72 34.0 16.4 2.6 3.3 5.9 3.4 1.0 0.4 2.4 2.7 6.9 15.2 .452 0.0 0.2 .231 2.6 3.6 .731
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Embiid 6 41.3 33.0 3.2 7.7 10.8 5.7 1.2 1.5 4.2 3.3 9.8 22.2 .444 2.2 6.5 .333 11.2 13.0 .859
Marques Johnson ------- --- ----------

Season 9
Joel Embiid Marques Johnson
Season -1985-86
Team -Los Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs -Did Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Embiid ------- --- ----------
Marques Johnson 75 34.7 20.3 2.1 3.5 5.5 3.8 1.4 0.7 2.4 2.9 8.2 16.0 .510 0.0 0.2 .067 4.0 5.2 .760
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Embiid ------- --- ----------
Marques Johnson ------- --- ----------

Season 10
Joel Embiid Marques Johnson
Season -1986-87
Team -Los Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Did Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Embiid ------- --- ----------
Marques Johnson 10 30.2 16.6 0.9 2.4 3.3 2.8 1.2 0.5 1.7 2.4 6.8 15.5 .439 0.0 0.6 .000 3.0 4.2 .714
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Embiid ------- --- ----------
Marques Johnson ------- --- ----------

Note: Marques Johnson didn't play in 1987-88 and 1988-89.

Season 11
Joel Embiid Marques Johnson
Season -1989-90
Team -Golden State Warriors
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Did Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Embiid ------- --- ----------
Marques Johnson 10 9.9 4.0 0.8 0.9 1.7 0.9 0.0 0.1 1.0 1.2 1.2 3.2 .375 0.2 0.3 .667 1.4 1.7 .824
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Embiid ------- --- ----------
Marques Johnson ------- --- ----------
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