Hoops

What's an Assist really worth?

Ideally I want my point guard to be a terrific ball handler with a Tim Hardaway killer crossover, I want him to pass like a John Stockton/Jason Kidd and lead the league in steals like a Gary Payton/Damo type. I'd love him to be able to penetrate and get to the rim when he chooses like Ricky Grace/Randall type and Knock down the open shots.

I'd much rather a point guard/play maker to have ten assists than score 20 a game as I want him to get team mates involved and whilst I mentioned mainly NBA types above the NBL seems to frown upon one pass shots type plays and that would be the best way of getting a player averaging ten assists a game again in the NBL.

An assist is worth a great deal if it can lead to getting the crowd excited of quietening them done or getting an underperforming star hot for the first time during the game. It also helps a team feel like a team and not a bunch of individuals that will run the floor and try and make the own baskets as soon as they get the ball

As a coach, I stress the importance of assists with my players to emphasise that it's a team game, and that they depend on each other. When you only praise the scorer, you risk ending up with a bunch of selfish players who care about their own points too much.

I also stress to my players that one role of the PG is to get everyone involved, and to get the ball into everyone's hands by their passing. If it leads to baskets, all the better. It makes every player feel more valued, and makes the defence's job harder because they have more threats to guard.

10 assists could also equal 10 points.

well as 10 assists must equal at least 20 points , and up to a possible 30 and even an exceptional 40 points ( work it out) it would appear to be a rather badly thought out question in its specifics

"All other things being equal, would you rather have a guy who averages 10 points, or 10 assists?"

Does that even need an answer?

As others have said, not all assists are equal.


a player that sets you up for your score, a player who reads the court and gives you points that you ( or your coach or the opponent) did not see coming is worth a huge amount. Particularly in respect of the team feeling good about itself and each other.

The best PGs can actually dominate a pressing defense by taking the pressure off other players onto themselves, and then firing out an assist that makes the defense feel that all that energy was expended for nothing, and now they have to score and then start all over again.

Isaac, what Paul said: "Not all assists are equal".

Although I went on to talk about Cedric, perhaps I shouldn't have.

My question basically is, "what's an assist really worth?"
All other things being equal, would you rather have a guy who averages 10 points, or 10 assists?
It's easy to measure the contribution of a shooter, (in isolation) but how much does an assist really contribute, and how valuable is it as a measure?

Slightly off topic, but i loved Nash because of the types of assists he got.

Anyone can pass to an open man.

But to have the ability to CREATE an assist from absolutely nothing and make some of the passes he made was special.

Unfortunately the NBA has changed and a lot of PGs are racking up assists just by making simple passess off pick and rolls etc. Its a different type of assist to the Kidd and Nash types.

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