Post by Rog on Oct 12, 2016 18:09:49 GMT
The 51st nominee of the NBN Hall of Fame was a bit of an odd breakout star that turned into a long career of really good play. Was he just really good or will he be known as an elite player, a Hall of Famer? Lets take a look.
Career Stats
34.5 MPG, 20.3 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 1.9 TOPG on 44.9% from the field, 82.4% from the line, and 39.7% from three
Best Season
Pacers(2008) - 27.9 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.9 SPG, 1.4 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 2.3 TOPG on 46.4% from the field, 79.3% from the line, and 37% from three
Career Highs
Points: 52
Rebounds: 19
Assists: 10
Steals: 6
Blocks: 4
Achievements
Championships: 0
Player of the Game: 95
Player of the Week: 0
Player of the Month: 0
Double Doubles: 185
Triple Doubles: 0
Accolades
2001 - All-Star Rookie Game Participant
Reasons For Induction
- Like Pierce, any true argument for Johnson begins with his scoring because he was one of the best scoring shooting guards in league history. His 20.3 PPG might just not be that impressive, but for a 7 year stretch you could guarantee you'd get 23 a game or more, including 3 seasons over 26.5 a game. It doesn't get much better than that.
- He was also quite efficient while scoring all those points. His 45% from the field for his career is a good number, but his prime he was consistently over 46% from the field. He also was an 82.4% free throw shooter and a near 40% three point shooter. So he was a near elite scorer who did it on good percentages.
- DerMarr also was very turnover efficient, and his 2.8 assist to 1.9 turnovers is a pretty solid number for a guy who shot as much as he did. He had several seasons where he had a 2 to 1 ratio that is pretty damn solid if you ask me.
- Maybe his best attribute was how good he was rebounding for a shooting guard. You normally want 6 to 6.5 rebounds from your shooting guard, but Johnson was good for 7 a game throughout his prime and over 8 for a lot of it as well. Damn good numbers.
- Overall, DerMarr Johnson is a guy that you had to take seriously as a rival GM, he could take a team to the next level with his great scoring, efficient play and rebounding, and while he has an awards deficiency problem here and he never won a title, statistically DerMarr looks like a Hall of Famer with a 5 year peak where he gave you 25 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and shot the ball well and limited his turnovers. Not to mention for over 10 years he was good for 21 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists as well, he never truly was anything less than a good scorer, rebounder, and solid passer but the first two years and last year of his career. The other 12 he was fantastic and a viable starter for any team in the league. That is a Hall of Famer to me.
Arguments Against Induction
- Again and again, we repeat the same argument that should disqualify guys like this: NOT ENOUGH AWARDS, PERIOD.
- While DerMarr was a great scorer for three seasons, he wasn't a great scorer overall, just a good one. He had more seasons in the 19 to 22 PPG range than the 23+ range. Good, not great. And his percentages were pretty good, they weren't elite compared to a lot of guards in this league. Those things make a good player, but not a Hall of Famer.
- Not a good defender, didn't carry a great rating and couldn't generate turnovers like you'd want from your shooting guard. His just over 1 steal a game number just isn't good enough.
- Overall its a tough case to make for a guy who doesn't have elite statistics, doesn't have a title, couldn't ring up any awards and bounced around time and time again around the league. You'd figure a Hall of Famer would stick with a team because they'd recognize his greatness, it just didn't happen. DerMarr might just be the best player for "Hall of Very Good" but he sure doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame.
Vote carefully, and remember to throw out arguments regardless of which side you're on. This should be a discussion that eventually gets the league to the proper decision on him. Your vote can also be retracted after it's been cast if you feel like switching to the other side based on the arguments that have been made. To be inducted, a player needs 70% and to be considered in a later class they need 50%. Vote carefully!
***BONUS - Don't forget that everyone who votes gets $25 and the person that makes the best argument or contributes to the discussion the best will be awarded an extra $25**
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