1951-52 Preview: Neil Johnston's Rookie Whimper

One of my favorite things about writing this blog is rediscovering players who don't get discussed much these days. While preparing for the upcoming 1951-52 season summary, I was reminded that 1951-52 was the rookie season for the man who still ranks fourth all time in Win Shares per 48 Minutes. The first three men on that list, Michael Jordan, David Robinson, and Wilt Chamberlain, aren't complete surprises, although Robinson seems to be ranked high at number two. Numbers five through ten are also well-known players: Chris Paul, Lebron, Kareem, Magic, Barkley, and Manu Ginoboli. I'm surprised to see Paul and Manu ranked so high on this list, but at least each of them is in the midst of very respectable careers. All of these top 10 players are well-known to even the most casual fans except for number four. So, who is this mystery man?

 

Newsboy, 1910

[unrestricted] via Flickr

Number four on the list is the rarely-discussed Neil Johnston. Johnston's illustrious career began on November 3, 1951, when his Philadelphia Warriors defeated the Fort Wayne Pistons 70-69. On this day, the Warriors were led by second-year player Paul Arizin (22 points), Joe Fulks (20), and George Mikan's little brother Ed (11). Future Hall-of-Famer Johnston contributed a not-so-remarkable two points. This kind of output wasn't an anomaly during Johnston's rookie campaign, as he only averaged six points per game during his first season.

While his rookie season was disappointing, Johnston turned a corner and dominated the league during his second year. In particular, he led the league in minutes played, field goals, field goal percentage, free throws, points, and points per game and was second overall in total rebounds and rebounds per game. He was also named an All-Star and a member of the All-NBA First Team. Johnston followed this incredible season with several more, showing that he was much more than a one year wonder. During the course of his career, he would earn six All-Star appearances and would be named to the All-NBA First or Second team five times. He also won an NBA title as a member of the Warriors in 1956. Not a bad career for a guy nicknamed "Gabby."

Johnston didn't win any TBCB Player of the Game awards during his first season. But as you'll eventually see on this blog, he had a pretty stellar career record with the Belt. (If all this business about the Belt doesn't make sense to you, stay tuned for our upcoming post on frequently asked questions.) Unfortunately, Johnston's incredible Hall of Fame production came to an end when a knee injury suffered during the 1958-59 campaign ended his career.

Curtis Harris subtly awarded Johnston the 1954-55 MVP in the concluding post of Hardwood Paroxysm's Lost MVP series. Harris also previously wrote about Johnston in his Forgotten Warriors series. I suggest you read them both for more detailed accounts of Johnston's career.

For those still wanting more, you can see a brief Neil Johnston All-Star Game highlight at about two minutes and ten seconds into the following clip.