'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
In the NBA, the task of making the assist has always been something that lies in the hands of the point guard. Running a play and watching it culminate as the last pass goes into the hands of a teammate who will score has traditionally been the point guard's role.
The assist, as a statistic in the NBA, measures the ability of the player to facilitate the offense and get the team involved on the offensive end. With great players like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird revolutionizing the aspect of passing in the NBA, the nature of who makes the assists in the game isn't just the role of a point guard anymore.
With the turn of the century seeing John Stockton as the all-time assists leader in the NBA, let's take a look at the top five NBA players with the most assists in the 21st century.
Note: To populate this list, we have only considered the regular season numbers, starting with the 2000-01 campaign.
#5 Russell Westbrook - 8,061 assists
Drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2008 NBA Draft, Russell Westbrook is one of the most explosive and dynamic offensive forces in the game. A tremendous athlete who plays with ferocious intensity, Russell Westbrook's development also saw him become a walking triple-double machine.
Having averaged triple-doubles over the season multiple times, Westbrook's ability to lead a one-man fastbreak only to drop a nifty pass to a teammate makes him an unpredictable player to defend.
Carrying rebounding and scoring duties on his shoulder routinely, Russell Westbrook's skill in finding his teammates for open looks is beyond doubt as he enters at number five on this list.
#4 Jason Kidd - 8,243 assists
Jason Kidd has been referred to by Rick Carlisle, his coach on the Dallas Mavericks, as an offensive savant. With one of the greatest basketball minds to ever play in the game, Jason Kidd's ability to find teammates on the break was impeccable.
Kidd was a master of using spin on his passes, routinely letting the ball turn just enough to comfortably land in the hands of his teammates. Efficient at using screens and no-look passes down the middle to cut big men, Kidd was a virtuoso with the ball in his hands. He led the New Jersey Nets to consecutive NBA Finals alongside Kenyon Martin and Vince Carter.
With his keen sense for angles and ability to hit the open man, Jason Kidd lands at number four on this list.
#3 Steve Nash - 9,444 assists
Steve Nash is known for his playmaking ability. An extremely orthodox game style based on the use of the pick-and-roll, Steve Nash found his bigs with a precision that was hard to match.
Often known for his time with the Phoenix Suns, Nash ran the pick-and-roll to perfection with his teammate, Amare Stoudemire. The two wreaked havoc in the Western Conference, challenging Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers in the playoffs. He also ranks at third in the NBA's all-time assists leader with 10,335 assists.
Steve Nash is a two-time MVP. He led the Phoenix Suns to the Western Conference Finals in the 2004-05 season. With the playing style fit for the quintessential point guard, Steve Nash enters in at third on this list.
#2 LeBron James - 9,696 assists
LeBron James consistently enters the conversation for the greatest of all time. There are many reasons for this. While he is also the third highest scorer of all time, LeBron is also amongst the top 10 in the NBA's all-time assist leaders, ranking eighth.
LeBron has always been a gifted playmaker, as seen from his early days with the Cleveland Cavaliers. It is only with time that he has developed this aspect of his game and gradually turned into a point-forward. Essentially with a similar playing style to Magic Johnson from the LA Lakers, LeBron has a knack for finding his shooters in tight corners and wing players on dives to the rim.
With his height and build, he is already a matchup nightmare for guards at his position. LeBron also led the league in assists in the 2019-20 season with 10.2 assists per game. Taking on more playmaking duties with the Lakers, LeBron James enters second place on this list.
#1 Chris Paul - 10,275 assists
Chris Paul is one of the most gifted point guards of this era. With an elite ability to handle the ball and a genius level basketball IQ, Chris Paul is often referred to, by many, as a "point god."
Chris Paul routinely makes use of pick-and-roll situations to create opportunities for his team to score. Its most effective form was seen in his time with the LA Clippers when he was paired alongside Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. The style of creating alley-oop situations by making defenses wary of players rolling off the screen and then lobbing it up to the big man in the dunker's spot under the rim led to the nickname "Lob City."
In his current campaign with the Phoenix Suns, Chris Paul brought veteran leadership and a holistic skillset. With the innate ability to run both halfcourt sets, as well as the quickness to run the fastbreak without making mistakes, Paul is always a threat on the offense. His ability to create off the dribble and get his own bucket also makes defenses that much more likely to commit to him while straying off of teammates.
Given Chris Paul's ingenuity with the ball in his hands and his ability to do as he demands, he tops the list with over 10,000 assists under his belt.
Guess the Lakers players!
