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Dennis Johnson as my all-time Celtics point guard in today's game

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 I have menbtally penciled in Dennis Johnson as my choice for all-time Celtics point guard playing in today's NBA game. John Havlicek joins him in the back court. Bill Russell takes center spot. And Larry Bird takes one of the forward positions. The fifth slot is somewhat up for grabs, with Jayson Tatum (yes, Jayson Tatum), Kevin Garnett, Dave Cowens and Kevin McHale in the running as either power forward or small forward.


So, why Dennis Johnson. Why not Bob Cousy, JoJo White or Rajon Rondo? Although not being a 3-point marksman, DJ had it all - athleticism, defense, scoring, distributing, rebounding. But most of all, he was adaptable to what his team needed to win (per Wikipedia):

"During this period (with Seattle) 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."

But Johnson clashed with Coach Lenny Wilkins and was traded to the Phoenix Suns. By now, Dennis was considered as a disruptive influence, but he did well with the Suns (per Wikipedia):

"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."

In 1983, Red Auerbach was looking for a defensive whiz to cover guys like the 76ers Andrew Toney and the Lakers Magic Johnson. Red traded for DJ and the rest was NBA history (per Wikipedia):

"With the Celtics Johnson changed his playing style for the third time in his career: after being known as a slam dunking shooting guard with the Sonics, and an all-around scorer with the Suns, he now established himself as a point guard who was defined more by playmaking than scoring."

With Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Danny Ainge alongside, Dennis did not have to put a lot of points on the board, but he averaged as many as 7.8 assists per game (1987-88 season) in the eight seasons he played in Boston.

Larry Bird once called Dennis Johnson, calling him the best teammate he ever had. The synergy between The Bird Man and Dennis, was very apparent. Red was right. DJ was the right guy to bring in.

There you have it! Finals MVP, 3-Time Champion, 5-Time All-Star, 9-Time All-Defense. The size to defend multiple positions - and the athleticism and skills to do it very effectively. The ability to score the ball and to distribute it. And the capability to somewhat submerge that elite athleticism and scoring ability for the good of his team. He is a lock for my choice as all-time Celtics point guard in today's game.

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