Neil Johnston
(BBR: #241)
Neil Johnston is another of the forgotten greats from the early days of the NBA, overlooked because of the era in which he played and the shortness of his career. While he definitely doesn't have the longevity needed to be remembered as one of the very best players of all time, the peak period of his career was very impressive.
From 1952-1957, he enjoyed one of the most steady and productive periods of any player ever. During that time, his scoring average was always between 22 and 25 points per game, including 3 seasons in which he led the league. He also averaged between 11.1 and 15.1 rebounds per game, and also led the league in that category once. His shooting percentage was between .440 and .460 in each season, and he also led the league 3 times in shooting. The only category in which he experienced a major change was free throw shooting, which he improved each season, from .700 in 1953 to .826 in 1957.
While he was one of the best players during the regular season during that 5-year period, ranking among the top five players in the league in each of those seasons, his success did not translate over to the postseason. Only once did he experience any measure of playoff success, and that was 1956, when he, along with Paul Arizin and Tom Gola, led the Philadelphia Warriors to the NBA title. During the regular season, he had been the best player on the team, but Arizin was more impressive in the playoffs.
You can see from this chart that Johnston was a better overall player than Rondo, but his peak was relatively short and his playoff success was pretty scarce, while Rondo has already accomplished more in the playoffs in just 5 seasons than Johnston did in his eight years. Even without the playoff numbers, Johnston has to be ranked ahead of Rondo at this point in his career.
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