Joe Johnson Tops Just About Every NBA Razorback Statistical Category

The NBA regular season tips off tonight with four former Razorbacks on final rosters. Houston’s Patrick Beverley injured his hand late last season and missed the Rockets’ surprising tear through the Playoffs, but he’s back and will team up with Ty Lawson and James Harden in what should be one of the League’s best backcourts. Meanwhile, in Phoenix, Sonny Weems returns to the Association after spending four years abroad where he became one of the Euroleague’s top wing players.

Bobby Portis starts his rookie season with Chicago, an Eastern Conference contender, after putting together one of the best preseasons in NBA Arkansan history. Still, this is preseason we’re talking about, and ol’ Crazy Eyes still has four quality bigs he will have to steal playing time away from. "Going in we may not think he is going to play a lot, but based on if we need a shot of energy I know Bobby will give that to us," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg told Sam Smith. "It’s going to be an evolving thing with Bobby."

Speaking of evolution, or perhaps devolution, I am severely bummed Joe Johnson hasn’t developed into a Ray Allen-type complementary piece on a legit championship contender. He kind of started his career in a similar role in Phoenix, and then wandered through an IsoJoe first/second round playoffs desert in Atlanta but now that he’s 34 years old, it’s time the man starts playing for rings. But that simply isn’t going to happen this season - not in a place where advertisements of a soon-to-be completed posh practice facility are posted by the visitors’ locker room in an attempt to recruit them for next summer.

Well, at least Johnson has this to lean on: He’s still going to get plenty of shots, still going to play plenty of minutes and almost certainly going to pad his his lead in the below list of all-time NBA Razorbacks. The Little Rock native is by far the top scoring Hog in terms of career NBA points. He’s on track to actually lap runner-up Sidney Moncrief in the next few seasons.

NBA Production among former Razorbacks

*data from basketball-reference.com

Sheer number of minutes played (Joe only trails LeBron in this department over the last decade plus) are a big reason for this lead. But so is the fact Johnson is playing in a three-point heavy era and taking full advantage of it. No other #ProHog has even hit a third of the career threes Johnson has.

(I long assumed Johnson was the greatest NBA three-point shooting native Arkansan of all time, but then I found out former NBA All-Star Game MVP Glen Rice grew up in Benton(what?!) and the castles in my head came tumbling down)

Johnson has always been an underrated passer, so it should be no surprise that he also leads in the assists category:

Joe Jesus has also risen in career rebounds among all NBA Razorback players. That’s pretty low hanging fruit, though, for an up-and-comer like Bobby Portis. Portis should take note that all he has to do is average 18 rebounds a game for the next four seasons, and not get injured, and make sure Chicago makes at least the semifinals each season, and he’ll probably surpass Joe on this list.

We have to start getting into the defensive stats to see Joe slip a bit. Even here, though, No.3 ain’t bad:

Alvin Robertson - now that man could play! Further proof:

Robertson could be a living legend among Razorback Nation. Unfortunately, he keeps doing stuff like this. Of all the super-successful NBA/NFL stars the Razorbacks have ever produced, would he be the most severed from the current administration, staff and fanbase?

To wrap, there is at least one category in which Joe Johnson does not finish in the top 10. That would be field goal percentage. Here, former Seattle Supersonic Dean Tolson plays the part of Reignman.

For detailed rankings along these lines, including the per-game averages, visit BestOfArkansasSports.com. I will also have all-time NBA "Arkansan" rankings that include both NBA Hogs and natives like Scottie Pippen and Derek Fisher.

Image via Teespring