D-White vs. Dennis Johnson

[Silas]

White reminds me of DJ, so I decided to compare their careers based on per 36.  I did not include 3pt shooting.

DJ -       6'4",185lbs;  FG% .445 on 5.8 shots/g;  FT% .797;  Rebs. 4.3;  Asts. 5.5; Stls. 1.5;  Blks. .7;  Pts. 15.6
White -  6'4",190lbs;  FG% .446 on 5.7 shots/g;  FT% .835;  Rebs. 4.6;  Asts. 5.4; Stls. 1.1;  Blks. 1.1; Pts. 16.2

Both players are known more for their defense than offense. I think DJ's record on defense is considerably better than White, however, on today's Celtics team White may excel and really surprise us.  All in all, I am very pleased with the addition of White to the Celtics team.  We should all be very pleased if he turns into another DJ. 

[Roy H.]

One thing to remember there:  the numbers account for DJ's entire career, up through age 35.  At his peak, DJ was a considerably better player than we've seen from White to date.  DJ was an All-Star with three different franchises, was Finals MVP with Seattle, won two more titles here, was All-NBA twice and 9x All-Defense.

[nickagneta]

Agree with Roy.

Let's not forget, DJ had two different careers pre and post injury. Pre injury, he was a high flyer/scorer that played all league defense and was THE star on his team. He also had a bit of a bad reputation.
 
Post injury he transformed into a slower, passing PG/elite role player/glue guy that could still D up against the best of them and was incredibly clutch. And he was the ultimate team guy/leader. A guy others looked up to.

White simply isn't like either of those players.

[Silas]

One thing to remember there:  the numbers account for DJ's entire career, up through age 35.  At his peak, DJ was a considerably better player than we've seen from White to date.  DJ was an All-Star with three different franchises, was Finals MVP with Seattle, won two more titles here, was All-NBA twice and 9x All-Defense.

I don't disagree with what you are saying.  DJ was one of my favorite players after coming to the Celtics.  Recognizing injuries and their teammates, White would have a considerable way to go to have a comparable career to DJ.  The point I made was we would be very pleased if he turned into another DJ.  I also said that DJ was considerably better on defense than White.  Please don't miss construe my comparison of the two, I just found the stats interesting and wanted to share.

[cons]

Haha. It’d be nice to have a new DJ.
One game in looks awesome

Let’s keep it going DW!! 😊

[liam]

One thing to remember there:  the numbers account for DJ's entire career, up through age 35.  At his peak, DJ was a considerably better player than we've seen from White to date.  DJ was an All-Star with three different franchises, was Finals MVP with Seattle, won two more titles here, was All-NBA twice and 9x All-Defense.

I don't disagree with what you are saying.  DJ was one of my favorite players after coming to the Celtics.  Recognizing injuries and their teammates, White would have a considerable way to go to have a comparable career to DJ.  The point I made was we would be very pleased if he turned into another DJ.  I also said that DJ was considerably better on defense than White.  Please don't miss construe my comparison of the two, I just found the stats interesting and wanted to share.

It is an interesting stat comp.

[RodyTur10]

One thing I'd add is that a lot of advanced stats suggest that White could have been an All Star candidate this season.
Of course the All Star game selections are more about popularity, marketing and flashiness.

(I had him higher on my list than Wiggins or Murray)

[Celtics4ever]

DJ was a champion before he got here too.  He never gets enough credit in that regard and he was a big game player.

[Roy H.]

One thing I'd add is that a lot of advanced stats suggest that White could have been an All Star candidate this season.
Of course the All Star game selections are more about popularity, marketing and flashiness.

(I had him higher on my list than Wiggins or Murray)

I think a lot of those advanced stats are garbage.

I like White, but he averaged 14 / 4 / 6 on a team that ranks 12th in its conference.  That's not an all-star.

[zeitgeist49]

D. White is a key addition to the Celtics. He's a good all around player and a better fit than Richardson. However, White doesn't really compare to DJ.  Magic stated DJ was the toughest defender he played against. In addition, Bird stated DJ was the best player he ever teamed up with. Enough said.

[W8ting2McHale]

Yeah, he’s no DJ, but he can play a similar role on this team. A glue guy that plays high level defense and can get a bucket when needed.

I will be happy if he’s a taller Avery Bradley to be honest.

[GreenShooter]

D-Dub isn't half the player DJ was. He's probably peaked as well so what you see is what you'll get. It's not a knock on White as I think he is a really good fit on this team. He could have a bigger role next year if Smart is traded.

[Neurotic Guy]

Agree with Roy.

Let's not forget, DJ had two different careers pre and post injury. Pre injury, he was a high flyer/scorer that played all league defense and was THE star on his team. He also had a bit of a bad reputation.
 
Post injury he transformed into a slower, passing PG/elite role player/glue guy that could still D up against the best of them and was incredibly clutch. And he was the ultimate team guy/leader. A guy others looked up to.

White simply isn't like either of those players.

DJ was so smart on the court and ridiculously clutch.  I can't tell you what his clutch stats were, but I can tell you what it seemed to be -- below average shooter (terrible from 3) but didn't seem to miss when the game was on the line.  Bird steals the ball play illustrates all you need to know about DJ.

I'm psyched to see if White has the clutch gene. 

[Celtics4ever]

Seattle

Seattle SuperSonics (1976–80)

The Seattle SuperSonics took Johnson in the second round of the 1976 draft with the 29th pick and gave him a four-year contract, with which he earned a salary of $45,000 in the first year and $90,000 in the last.[8] In his rookie year, the 1976–77 NBA season, Johnson, playing backup to the experienced Sonics backcourt tandem of Slick Watts and Fred Brown, averaged 9.2 points and 1.5 assists per game.[3] The Sonics finished with a 40–42 record[9] and missed the 1977 NBA Playoffs, leading head coach Bill Russell to resign.[1] In the following season, the team lost 17 of the first 22 games under Russell's replacement Bob Hopkins, who was replaced by Hall of Fame coach Lenny Wilkens, who gave Johnson a starting spot and paired him with Gus Williams.[1] Johnson revelled in this new role, improving his averages to 12.7 points and 2.8 assists per game.[3] During this period Johnson played shooting guard and was known for his aggressive slam dunking, in contrast to the more cerebral roles he played later in his career.[5] It was at this time that Johnson's nickname "DJ" was coined by play-by-play announcer Bob Blackburn, to help distinguish him from teammates, John Johnson and Vinnie Johnson (whom Blackburn referred to as "JJ" and "VJ", respectively).[10]

Finishing strongly, the Sonics ended the regular season with a 47–35 record and made the 1978 NBA Playoffs. After eliminating the Los Angeles Lakers, the defending champion Portland Trail Blazers, and the Denver Nuggets, they almost defeated the Washington Bullets by taking a 3–2 lead in the 1978 NBA Finals. In a 93–92 Game 3 victory, Johnson blocked seven shots—the most blocks in NBA Finals history for a guard.[11][12] The Sonics lost in seven games, however, partly because of Johnson's Game 7 scoring drought, in which the second-year guard missed all of his 14 field goal attempts.[8] Johnson later acknowledged that he simply "choked"; he vowed never to repeat this again and credited this game as an important lesson to become a better player.[2]

Johnson and the Sonics got their revenge in the 1978–79 season. After clinching the Pacific Division with a 52–30 record,[9] the team met the Bullets again in the 1979 NBA Finals. After losing Game 1, the Sonics won the next four games to take the finals series, helped by Johnson who averaged almost 23 points along with six rebounds and assists per game.[13] He scored 32 points in a Game 4 overtime victory, and was named NBA Finals MVP.[1] It was during this season that Johnson established himself as one of the best guards in the league; he averaged 15.9 points and 3.5 assists per game, and made his first All-Defensive First Team and All-Star Game appearance.[3]

During the following season, Johnson averaged 19.0 points and 4.1 assists, appeared in his second All-Star Game and was named to the All-Defensive First Team and All-NBA Second Team.[3] The Sonics, however, lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Lakers, who had Hall of Famers Jamaal Wilkes, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Because of the abundance of talent on the Sonics team, Johnson later called this loss one of the worst disappointments of his professional career.

Coach Wilkens grew tired of Johnson, who often clashed with him and was perceived as a growing liability to the team.[2][14] At the end of the season, Johnson was traded to the Phoenix Suns for Paul Westphal and draft picks. The Sonics finished 22 games worse in the next season despite the addition of Westphal.[5]

Phoenix Suns (1980–83)

Johnson further established himself as a quality player in Phoenix. In his three years as a Sun, Johnson averaged 14–20 points a game and provided tough defense. He played in two All-Star Games, was voted into three consecutive All-Defensive First Teams and earned his only All-NBA First Team appearance.[3] In this period Johnson, like in Seattle, played shooting guard and became the main scorer on the team, as opposed to being the second or third option as a Sonic.[5]

In the first two years of Johnson's stint, the Suns were fairly successful, reaching the Western Conference Semifinals both seasons. The Suns bowed out in the first round in Johnson's last year.[15] Johnson's situation deteriorated towards the end of his career at Phoenix. Like in Seattle, he often clashed with his coach, John MacLeod, and finally was traded by general manager, Jerry Colangelo, to the Boston Celtics for Rick Robey and draft picks.[2] Like Seattle after Johnson's departure, the Suns finished 12 games worse in the next season despite the addition of Robey.[5]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Johnson


White up to this point has done nothing to equal DJ folks....