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Player profile · PHW
Neil Johnston
Neil Johnston stats, teams and career impact
#65 all-timeCareer averages · 19.4 PPG · 11.3 RPG · 2.5 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Center
- Final NBA team
- Philadelphia Warriors
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 8 in (203 cm) · 210 lb (95 kg)
- Born
- February 4, 1929
- Died
- September 28, 1978 (49 yrs old)
- College
- Ohio State
- NBA seasons
- 8 seasons · 1951–52 to 1958–59
Career summaryNeil Johnston was a center who played 8 NBA seasons, from 1951–52 through 1958–59.
- Career PPG
- 19.4
- Career RPG
- 11.3
- Career APG
- 2.5
- #3 in 1956–57
- #65 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Neil Johnston ranks #65 all time
Neil Johnston ranks #65 all time. 4 top-five finishes and 5 top-ten finishes give him a strong blend of peak and staying power. His full-career value ranks #197, so this placement is driven more by dominance than longevity.
5 top-ten finishes
516 games · Career Value Rank #197
NBA honors6× All-Star · 5× All-NBAContext only; honors are not model inputs.
Head to head
Compare Neil Johnston with…
Ten suggested matchups, selected from familiar debates, similar careers, and players from the same era. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Dan Issel Similar career path
- Brad Daugherty Similar career path
- Bam Adebayo Similar career path
- Jarrett Allen Similar career path
- Montrezl Harrell Similar career path
- Alperen Şengün Similar career path
- Harry Gallatin Same-era comparison
- Jack Coleman Same-era comparison
- Dick McGuire Same-era comparison
- Ed Macauley Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Philadelphia Warriors
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 44.4%FG%
- Three-point
- —3P%
- Free throw
- 76.8%FT%
516 career games · 18,298 minutes
Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.
Traditional box score
Neil Johnston stats by season
Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| 1958–59 | 6.3 | 5.0 | 0.8 | -1.46 | PHW | 28 | 0 | 14.0 | 32.9% | — | 78.4% | — | 5.3 |
| 1957–58 | 19.5 | 11.1 | 2.3 | +2.62 | PHW | 71 | 0 | 33.9 | 42.9% | — | 81.9% | #11 | 273.3 |
| 1956–57 | 22.8 | 12.4 | 2.9 | +3.74 | PHW | 69 | 0 | 36.7 | 44.7% | — | 82.6% | #3 | 326.9 |
| 1955–56 | 22.1 | 12.5 | 3.2 | +3.36 | PHW | 70 | 0 | 37.1 | 45.7% | — | 80.1% | #5 | 314.2 |
| 1954–55 | 22.7 | 15.1 | 3.0 | +3.21 | PHW | 72 | 0 | 40.5 | 44.0% | — | 76.6% | #4 | 329.2 |
| 1953–54 | 24.4 | 11.1 | 2.8 | +3.45 | PHW | 72 | 0 | 45.8 | 44.9% | — | 74.7% | #3 | 334.4 |
| 1952–53 | 22.3 | 13.9 | 2.8 | +3.18 | PHW | 70 | 0 | 45.2 | 45.2% | — | 70.0% | #6 | 319.4 |
| 1951–52 | 6.0 | 5.3 | 0.6 | -0.93 | PHW | 64 | 0 | 15.5 | 47.2% | — | 66.2% | #59 | 21.2 |
| Career | 19.4 | 11.3 | 2.5 | — | PHW | 516 | — | 35.5 | 44.4% | — | 76.8% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
What these measures mean
- Era-centered box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average.
- Impact Rate Rank
- The player's place among qualified players in one season.
- Value contribution / Season Value
- Completed seasons use a fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. The live season instead uses Season Value, combining that season's impact with workload.
- Career Impact Rank
- An all-time rank weighted toward the player's best three, five, and ten seasons.
9.6 composite · lower is better
4.2 average league finish
1,924 total value
Career standing
How Neil Johnston ranks all time
These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.
Best in the league
Elite finishes
Upper-tier finishes
Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons
Career Composite Score9.6
Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes receive 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights. Missing seasons receive a replacement finish just below the player's typical qualified field. Lower is better.
- Best 3 effective weight
- 74%
- Missing-season finish
- —
- Qualified seasons
- 7
- All-time rank
- #65
Strongest seasons
Every season
Neil Johnston advanced stats by season
Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.
More advanced statsAge, minutes, impact, rank, value and data coverage
Scroll for more columns
| 1958–59Historical Defense Estimate | PHW | 29 | 28 | 393 | -1.46 | — | — | 5.3 | — | Modeled |
| 1957–58Historical Defense Estimate | PHW | 28 | 71 | 2,408 | +2.62 | 86.8 | #11 | 273.3 | 88th | Modeled |
| 1956–57Historical Defense Estimate | PHW | 27 | 69 | 2,531 | +3.74 | 97.5 | #3 | 326.9 | 96th | Modeled |
| 1955–56Historical Defense Estimate | PHW | 26 | 70 | 2,594 | +3.36 | 94.7 | #5 | 314.2 | 97th | Modeled |
| 1954–55Historical Defense Estimate | PHW | 25 | 72 | 2,917 | +3.21 | 96.1 | #4 | 329.2 | 100th | Modeled |
| 1953–54Historical Defense Estimate | PHW | 24 | 72 | 3,296 | +3.45 | 97.6 | #3 | 334.4 | 99th | Modeled |
| 1952–53Historical Defense Estimate | PHW | 23 | 70 | 3,166 | +3.18 | 94.7 | #6 | 319.4 | 98th | Modeled |
| 1951–52Historical Defense Estimate | PHW | 22 | 64 | 993 | -0.93 | 38.9 | #59 | 21.2 | 38th | Modeled |
Career movement
Neil Johnston's career impact by season
Peak +3.74 in 1956–57 · 8 seasons · 18,298 minutes
The same historical box-score model is used for every season, making the career shape comparable through time. The vertical scale adapts to this player's range and always includes zero.
Era-centered box impactMinutesModeled estimate
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload
Career comparison
Compare the shape, not the calendar
Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.
Neil JohnstonDan Issel
| NBA season | Neil Johnston | Dan Issel |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -0.9 | 2.6 |
| 2 | 3.2 | 2.8 |
| 3 | 3.4 | 2.1 |
| 4 | 3.2 | 3.9 |
| 5 | 3.4 | 2.3 |
| 6 | 3.7 | 1.6 |
| 7 | 2.6 | 2.1 |
| 8 | -1.5 | 1.9 |
| 9 | Did not play | 0.3 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Neil Johnston
The career-similarity score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and experience-aligned trajectory. It describes career shape, not playing style, equal ability, or probability.
C · All-Time Career #199
Dan Issel
91career similarity score
94/100 closest-season score · 1956–57 ↔ 1976–77C · All-Time Career #273Brad Daugherty
91career similarity score
94/100 closest-season score · 1956–57 ↔ 1992–93C · All-Time Career #329Bam Adebayo
90career similarity score
92/100 closest-season score · 1956–57 ↔ 2024–25Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →