Dennis Johnson vs. Earl Tatum Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Earl Tatum and Dennis Johnson that includes championships won, honors and awards obtained, regular season and playoffs stats and other data put side by side.

Who scored more points in his career? Who averaged more points in playoffs? Who won more championships? Who led the season more times? Who won more MVP awards? These questions and many more, are answered here. It includes NBA Championships, seasons, playoffs, awards, statistical data for points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and percentages.

Head-To-Head Career Comparison

Dennis Johnson

vs.

Earl Tatum

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Dennis Johnson: 1976-77 to 1989-90
Earl Tatum: 1976-77 to 1979-80

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Dennis Johnson 3 Earl Tatum 0

NBA Seasons Dennis Johnson 14 Earl Tatum 4

Playoffs Played Dennis Johnson 13 Earl Tatum 1

All-Star Games Dennis Johnson 5 Earl Tatum 0

Honors and Awards

Finals MVP Dennis Johnson 1 Earl Tatum 0

All-NBA First Team Dennis Johnson 1 Earl Tatum 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Dennis Johnson 2 Earl Tatum 0

All-Defensive 1st Team Dennis Johnson 6 Earl Tatum 0

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Dennis Johnson 9 Earl Tatum 0

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Dennis Johnson 14.1 Earl Tatum 9.6

Rebounds Per Game Dennis Johnson 3.9 Earl Tatum 2.6

Assists Per Game Dennis Johnson 5.0 Earl Tatum 1.9

Steals Per Game Dennis Johnson 1.3 Earl Tatum 1.2

Blocks Per Game Dennis Johnson 0.6 Earl Tatum 0.4

Totals Stats

Total Points Dennis Johnson 15,535 Earl Tatum 2,508

Total Rebounds Dennis Johnson 4,249 Earl Tatum 682

Total Assists Dennis Johnson 5,499 Earl Tatum 507

Total Steals Dennis Johnson 1,477 Earl Tatum 319

Total Blocks Dennis Johnson 675 Earl Tatum 101

Total Games Dennis Johnson 1,100 Earl Tatum 262

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Dennis Johnson .445 Earl Tatum .459

3-Point Percentage Dennis Johnson .172 * Earl Tatum .333 *

Free Throw Percentage Dennis Johnson .797 Earl Tatum .746

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Dennis Johnson 19.5 (1982) Earl Tatum 14.3 (1978)

Rebounds Per Game Dennis Johnson 5.1 (1982) Earl Tatum 3.6 (1978)

Assists Per Game Dennis Johnson 7.8 (1988) Earl Tatum 3.6 (1978)

Steals Per Game Dennis Johnson 1.8 (1980) Earl Tatum 1.7 (1978)

Blocks Per Game Dennis Johnson 1.2 (1979) Earl Tatum 0.5 (1978)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Dennis Johnson 17.3 Earl Tatum 13.6

Rebounds Per Game Dennis Johnson 4.3 Earl Tatum 4.9

Assists Per Game Dennis Johnson 5.6 Earl Tatum 2.5

Steals Per Game Dennis Johnson 1.4 Earl Tatum 1.4

Blocks Per Game Dennis Johnson 0.6 Earl Tatum 0.8

Totals Stats

Total Points Dennis Johnson 3,116 Earl Tatum 150

Total Rebounds Dennis Johnson 781 Earl Tatum 54

Total Assists Dennis Johnson 1,006 Earl Tatum 27

Total Steals Dennis Johnson 247 Earl Tatum 15

Total Blocks Dennis Johnson 113 Earl Tatum 9

Total Games Dennis Johnson 180 Earl Tatum 11

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Dennis Johnson .439 Earl Tatum .500

3-Point Percentage Dennis Johnson .239 * Earl Tatum - *

Free Throw Percentage Dennis Johnson .802 Earl Tatum .667

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Dennis Johnson 22.3 (1982) Earl Tatum 13.6 (1977)

Rebounds Per Game Dennis Johnson 7.7 (1983) Earl Tatum 4.9 (1977)

Assists Per Game Dennis Johnson 8.9 (1987) Earl Tatum 2.5 (1977)

Steals Per Game Dennis Johnson 2.2 (1986) Earl Tatum 1.4 (1977)

Blocks Per Game Dennis Johnson 1.5 (1979) Earl Tatum 0.8 (1977)

Notes: * Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80. Some years in this player's career don't have stats.