Tiny Archibald vs. Dennis Johnson Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Dennis Johnson and Tiny Archibald, 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.

Tiny Archibald played 13 years in the NBA, 1 less than Dennis Johnson, who played 14. Tiny Archibald had the first of his seasons in 1970-71, while Dennis Johnson had his rookie season in 1976-77. 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 achievements, 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
Tiny Archibald 13 5 1970-71 to 1983-84
Dennis Johnson 14 13 1976-77 to 1989-90

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13

Rookie Season

Tiny Archibald Dennis Johnson
Season 1970-711976-77
Team Cincinnati RoyalsSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald 82 35.0 16.0 - - 3.0 5.5 - - - 2.7 5.9 13.4 .444 - - - 4.1 5.4 .757
difference:+1+14.4+6.8+0.7+4.0+2.4+6.4+.060+1.9+1.9+.133
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
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher Tiny Archibald nor Dennis Johnson played in the postseason in their season 1

Season 2

Tiny Archibald Dennis Johnson
Season 1971-721977-78
Team Cincinnati RoyalsSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Playoffs Did Not PlaySupersonics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald 76 43.1 28.2 - - 2.9 9.2 - - - 2.6 9.7 19.9 .486 - - - 8.9 10.8 .822
difference:+5+15.8+15.5+0.7+6.4+5.2+9.0+.069+5.2+5.8+.090
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald DNP------ --- ----------
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

Season 3

Tiny Archibald Dennis Johnson
Season 1972-731978-79
Team Kansas City-Omaha KingsSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald 80 46.0 34.0 - - 2.8 11.4 - - - 2.6 12.9 26.3 .488 - - - 8.3 9.8 .847
difference:+12.0+18.1+1.9+7.9+6.9+12.4+.054+4.5+4.9+.066
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald DNP------ --- ----------
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

Season 4

Tiny Archibald Dennis Johnson
Season 1973-741979-80
Team Kansas City-Omaha KingsSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlaySupersonics Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald 35 36.3 17.6 0.6 1.8 2.4 7.6 1.6 0.2 - 2.2 6.3 14.1 .451 - - - 4.9 6.0 .820
difference:+46+1.4+1.5+1.2+2.7+3.5+0.2+0.8-1.1+0.8+2.7+.029+0.2+.040
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald DNP------ --- ----------
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

Season 5

Tiny Archibald Dennis Johnson
Season 1974-751980-81
Team Kansas City-Omaha KingsPhoenix Suns
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Kings Lost West Conf SemisSuns Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald 82 39.6 26.5 0.6 2.1 2.7 6.8 1.5 0.1 - 2.3 9.3 20.3 .456 - - - 8.0 9.1 .872
difference:+3+6.5+7.7+1.4+0.5+1.9+3.1+0.2+0.7-0.8+2.6+4.9+.020+2.8+2.8+.052
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald 6 40.3 20.2 0.3 1.5 1.8 5.3 0.7 0.0 - 3.0 7.2 19.7 .364 - - - 5.8 7.2 .814
difference:+1+2.2+0.6+0.7+2.2+2.9+2.4+0.6+1.3-0.4+0.2+4.0+.109+1.2+1.2+.052
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

Season 6

Tiny Archibald Dennis Johnson
Season 1975-761981-82
Team Kansas City KingsPhoenix Suns
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlaySuns Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald 78 40.8 24.8 0.9 1.9 2.7 7.9 1.6 0.2 - 2.2 9.2 20.3 .453 - - - 6.4 8.0 .802
difference:+2+4.1+5.3+0.9+1.5+2.4+3.3+0.3+0.5-1.0+2.0+4.9+.017+1.4+1.8+.004
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald DNP------ --- ----------
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

Season 7

Tiny Archibald Dennis Johnson
Season 1976-771982-83
Team New York NetsPhoenix Suns
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Playoffs Did Not PlaySuns Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
7th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald 34 37.6 20.5 0.6 1.7 2.4 7.5 1.7 0.3 - 2.3 7.4 16.5 .446 - - - 5.8 7.4 .785
difference:+43+4.5+6.3+0.6+1.5+2.0+2.5+0.4+0.2-0.3+2.2+5.3+.016+2.0+2.6+.006
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald DNP------ --- ----------
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

Note: Tiny Archibald didn't play in 1977-78.

Season 8

Tiny Archibald Dennis Johnson
Season 1978-791983-84
Team Boston CelticsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
8th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald 69 24.1 11.0 0.4 1.1 1.5 4.7 0.8 0.1 2.9 1.9 3.8 8.3 .452 - - - 3.5 4.4 .788
difference:+11+9.2+2.2+0.7+1.3+2.0+0.5+0.4+0.6-0.7-1.2+1.0+2.7+.015+0.3+.064
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald DNP------ --- ----------
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

Season 9

Tiny Archibald Dennis Johnson
Season 1979-801984-85
Team Boston CelticsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsCeltics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
9th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald 80 35.8 14.1 0.7 1.7 2.5 8.4 1.3 0.1 3.0 2.7 4.8 9.9 .482 0.1 0.2 .222 4.5 5.4 .830
difference:+1.4+1.6+0.4+1.1+1.5+1.6+0.1+0.4-0.3-0.1+1.4+3.4+.020+0.1+.047+1.2+1.6+.023
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald 9 36.9 14.2 0.3 0.9 1.2 7.9 1.1 0.0 4.2 3.1 5.0 9.9 .506 0.1 0.2 .500 4.1 4.7 .881
difference:+12+3.5+3.1+0.8+2.0+2.8+0.6+0.4+0.4-0.8+1.8+5.3+.061+0.1+0.5+.500+0.3+0.3+.021
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

Season 10

Tiny Archibald Dennis Johnson
Season 1980-811985-86
Team Boston CelticsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
10th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald 80 35.3 13.8 0.5 1.8 2.2 7.7 0.9 0.2 3.3 2.5 4.8 9.6 .499 0.0 0.1 .000 4.3 5.2 .816
difference:+2+0.3+1.8+0.4+0.8+1.2+1.9+0.5+0.2-1.1-0.1+1.4+4.0+.044+0.1+0.4+.143+1.2+1.4+.002
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald 17 37.1 15.6 0.4 1.3 1.6 6.3 0.8 0.0 2.9 2.3 5.6 12.4 .450 0.0 0.3 .000 4.5 5.5 .809
difference:+1+2.6+0.6+0.9+1.6+2.6+0.4+1.4+0.3-0.1-0.9+0.5+1.2+.005+0.3+0.6+.375+0.8+0.8+.011
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

Season 11

Tiny Archibald Dennis Johnson
Season 1981-821986-87
Team Boston CelticsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsCeltics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
11th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald 68 31.9 12.6 0.4 1.3 1.7 8.0 0.8 0.0 2.6 1.9 4.5 9.6 .472 0.1 0.2 .375 3.5 4.6 .747
difference:+11+5.2+0.8+0.2+1.4+1.6+0.5+0.3+0.5-0.4-0.6+0.9+2.5+.028+0.6+.262+0.9+1.4+.086
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald 8 34.6 10.6 0.1 2.0 2.1 6.5 0.6 0.3 2.9 2.6 3.8 8.8 .429 0.0 0.5 .000 3.1 3.5 .893
difference:+15+7.3+8.3+0.9+0.9+1.9+2.4+0.1-1.0-0.5+3.5+6.9+.036+0.1+0.6+.115+1.1+1.4+.043
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

Season 12

Tiny Archibald Dennis Johnson
Season 1982-831987-88
Team Boston CelticsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf SemisCeltics Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
12th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald 66 27.4 10.5 0.4 1.0 1.4 6.2 0.6 0.1 2.5 1.7 3.6 8.4 .425 0.1 0.4 .208 3.3 4.5 .743
difference:+11+7.3+2.1+0.4+1.3+1.7+1.6+0.6+0.3-0.9+1.0+2.0+.013+0.1+0.2+.053+0.6+.113
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald 7 23.0 9.6 0.4 1.0 1.4 6.3 0.3 0.0 1.6 1.7 3.1 9.7 .324 0.1 0.9 .167 3.1 4.1 .759
difference:+10+18.3+6.3+0.5+2.6+3.1+1.9+1.1+0.5-1.0-1.3+2.3+2.7+.109+0.3+.208+1.7+2.0+.037
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

Season 13

Tiny Archibald Dennis Johnson
Season 1983-841988-89
Team Milwaukee BucksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayCeltics Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
13th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald 46 22.6 7.4 0.3 1.3 1.7 3.5 0.7 0.0 1.7 1.7 3.0 6.1 .487 0.1 0.4 .222 1.4 2.2 .634
difference:+26+9.5+2.6+0.1+0.9+0.9+3.1+0.6+0.3-0.7-1.2+0.8+2.8+.053+0.3+.082+0.8+0.5+.187
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Tiny Archibald DNP------ --- ----------
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 -

Additional Years

* Dennis Johnson played 1 season more than Tiny Archibald in the NBA.

In that period—his season 14 in 1990—Dennis Johnson played in the Playoffs.