John Johnson vs. Nikola Jokic Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Nikola Jokic and John 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

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.

John Johnson played 12 years in the NBA, 3 more than Nikola Jokic, who played 9. John Johnson had the first of his seasons in 1970-71, while Nikola Jokic had his rookie season in 2015-16. 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
John Johnson 12 5 1970-71 to 1981-82
Nikola Jokic 9 6 2015-16 to 2023-24

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12

Rookie Season

John Johnson Nikola Jokic
Season 1970-712015-16
Team Cleveland CavaliersDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Rookie First Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Johnson 67 34.5 16.6 - - 6.8 4.8 - - - 3.7 6.5 15.4 .422 - - - 3.6 4.4 .805
Nikola Jokic 80 21.7 10.0 2.3 4.7 7.0 2.4 1.0 0.6 1.3 2.6 3.8 7.5 .512 0.4 1.1 .333 1.9 2.4 .811
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Johnson ------- --- ----------
Nikola Jokic ------- --- ----------

Season 2

John Johnson Nikola Jokic
Season 1971-722016-17
Team Cleveland CavaliersDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Johnson 82 37.1 17.0 - - 7.7 5.1 - - - 3.3 6.8 15.7 .433 - - - 3.4 4.3 .785
Nikola Jokic 73 27.9 16.7 2.9 6.9 9.8 4.9 0.8 0.8 2.3 2.9 6.8 11.7 .578 0.6 1.9 .324 2.6 3.1 .825
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Johnson ------- --- ----------
Nikola Jokic ------- --- ----------

Season 3

John Johnson Nikola Jokic
Season 1972-732017-18
Team Cleveland CavaliersDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Johnson 82 34.3 14.4 - - 6.7 3.8 - - - 3.0 6.0 13.9 .430 - - - 2.4 3.3 .734
Nikola Jokic 75 32.6 18.5 2.6 8.1 10.7 6.1 1.2 0.8 2.8 2.8 6.7 13.5 .499 1.5 3.7 .396 3.5 4.2 .850
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Johnson ------- --- ----------
Nikola Jokic ------- --- ----------

Season 4

John Johnson Nikola Jokic
Season 1973-742018-19
Team Portland Trail BlazersDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayNuggets 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 %
John Johnson 69 33.1 16.4 2.3 5.1 7.5 4.1 1.0 0.4 - 3.2 6.7 14.3 .464 - - - 3.1 3.8 .812
Nikola Jokic 80 31.3 20.1 2.9 8.0 10.8 7.3 1.4 0.7 3.1 2.9 7.7 15.1 .511 1.0 3.4 .307 3.6 4.4 .821
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Johnson ------- --- ----------
Nikola Jokic 14 39.8 25.1 3.9 9.1 13.0 8.4 1.1 0.9 2.6 3.9 9.4 18.6 .506 1.6 4.0 .393 4.7 5.6 .846

Season 5

John Johnson Nikola Jokic
Season 1974-752019-20
Team Portland Trail BlazersDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayNuggets 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 %
John Johnson 80 31.8 16.1 2.0 4.2 6.3 3.0 0.9 0.5 - 3.1 6.6 13.5 .487 - - - 3.0 3.8 .784
Nikola Jokic 73 32.0 19.9 2.3 7.5 9.7 7.0 1.2 0.6 3.1 3.0 7.7 14.7 .528 1.1 3.5 .314 3.4 4.1 .817
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Johnson ------- --- ----------
Nikola Jokic 19 36.5 24.4 1.9 7.9 9.8 5.7 1.1 0.8 3.3 3.6 9.4 18.1 .519 2.2 5.2 .429 3.5 4.2 .835

Season 6

John Johnson Nikola Jokic
Season 1975-762020-21
Team Portland Trail Blazers, Houston RocketsDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayNuggets 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 %
John Johnson 76 22.3 9.9 1.2 3.1 4.4 2.9 0.8 0.5 - 2.6 4.2 9.2 .453 - - - 1.6 2.0 .774
Nikola Jokic 72 34.6 26.4 2.8 8.0 10.8 8.3 1.3 0.7 3.1 2.7 10.2 18.0 .566 1.3 3.3 .388 4.8 5.5 .868
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Johnson ------- --- ----------
Nikola Jokic 10 34.5 29.8 3.7 7.9 11.6 5.0 0.6 0.9 2.4 2.3 11.6 22.8 .509 2.0 5.3 .377 4.6 5.5 .836

Season 7

John Johnson Nikola Jokic
Season 1976-772021-22
Team Houston RocketsDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Rockets Lost East Conf FinalsNuggets 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 %
John Johnson 79 22.0 9.3 0.9 2.4 3.4 2.1 0.6 0.3 - 2.5 4.0 8.8 .458 - - - 1.2 1.7 .712
Nikola Jokic 74 33.5 27.1 2.8 11.0 13.8 7.9 1.5 0.9 3.8 2.6 10.3 17.7 .583 1.3 3.9 .337 5.1 6.3 .810
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Johnson 12 12.2 4.8 0.6 1.8 2.4 0.8 0.3 0.0 - 1.7 2.0 5.1 .393 - - - 0.8 1.3 .667
Nikola Jokic 5 34.2 31.0 3.4 9.8 13.2 5.8 1.6 1.0 4.8 4.0 12.2 21.2 .575 1.0 3.6 .278 5.6 6.6 .848

Season 8

John Johnson Nikola Jokic
Season 1977-782022-23
Team Houston Rockets, Seattle SupersonicsDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Supersonics Lost NBA FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Johnson 77 23.7 10.6 1.3 2.7 4.0 2.7 0.6 0.2 2.2 2.6 4.4 10.7 .415 - - - 1.7 2.3 .751
Nikola Jokic 69 33.7 24.5 2.4 9.4 11.8 9.8 1.3 0.7 3.6 2.5 9.4 14.8 .632 0.8 2.2 .383 4.9 6.0 .822
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Johnson 22 27.1 10.1 1.6 2.9 4.5 2.5 0.4 0.3 2.4 2.9 4.3 10.2 .424 - - - 1.5 2.1 .696
Nikola Jokic 20 39.5 30.0 3.5 10.0 13.5 9.5 1.1 1.0 3.5 3.5 11.4 20.7 .548 1.8 3.8 .461 5.6 7.0 .799

Season 9

John Johnson Nikola Jokic
Season 1978-792023-24
Team Seattle SupersonicsDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionNuggets TBD
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Johnson 82 29.1 11.0 1.5 3.5 5.0 4.4 0.7 0.3 3.1 3.0 4.3 10.0 .434 - - - 2.3 3.0 .760
Nikola Jokic 79 34.6 26.4 2.8 9.5 12.4 9.0 1.4 0.9 3.0 2.5 10.4 17.9 .583 1.1 2.9 .359 4.5 5.5 .817
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Johnson 17 36.2 12.2 2.4 4.4 6.8 5.4 1.0 0.2 3.8 2.9 4.9 10.3 .474 - - - 2.4 3.8 .641
Nikola Jokic 11 39.5 28.2 3.4 9.5 12.9 8.8 1.5 0.6 3.4 2.7 10.9 19.6 .556 1.1 3.9 .279 5.3 5.8 .906

Season 10

John Johnson Nikola Jokic
Season 1979-80-
Team Seattle Supersonics-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Supersonics 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 %
John Johnson 81 31.3 11.3 2.0 3.2 5.3 5.2 0.9 0.4 3.0 2.6 4.7 9.5 .488 0.0 0.0 - 2.0 2.5 .801
Nikola Jokic ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Johnson 15 32.4 12.4 2.9 3.9 6.8 5.7 0.5 0.2 3.7 3.0 5.2 10.5 .494 0.0 0.1 .000 2.0 2.5 .811
Nikola Jokic ------- --- ----------

Season 11

John Johnson Nikola Jokic
Season 1980-81-
Team Seattle Supersonics-
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 %
John Johnson 80 29.1 11.5 1.7 2.8 4.5 3.9 0.7 0.3 2.9 2.5 4.7 10.8 .431 0.0 0.0 .000 2.2 2.7 .808
Nikola Jokic ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Johnson ------- --- ----------
Nikola Jokic ------- --- ----------

Season 12

John Johnson Nikola Jokic
Season 1981-82-
Team Seattle Supersonics-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Supersonics 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 %
John Johnson 14 13.4 4.2 0.2 1.1 1.3 2.1 0.3 0.2 1.2 1.4 1.6 3.2 .489 0.0 0.0 - 1.1 1.4 .750
Nikola Jokic ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Johnson 7 22.7 5.4 1.0 1.0 2.0 4.9 0.9 0.0 1.6 2.4 2.1 5.4 .395 0.0 0.0 - 1.1 1.6 .727
Nikola Jokic ------- --- ----------