RADIO
Wei Sallas looks at three star pass-first NBA point guards who rack up assists in fantasy basketball leagues.
As "iso-ball" disappears from the NBA and the unselfish style of basketball that Golden State perfected begins to permeate throughout the league, why hasn't there been an uptick in team assists per game? To that affect, how does that trickle down to fantasy basketball owner's decision making process when it comes to satisfying that category.
Golden State's high-powered offense ushered in a new era. An unselfish style, where the ball is always moving and everyone has to be ready to shoot has taken over.
Oddly enough, shot attempts, made shots, field goal percentage and pace are all trending upward, yet team assists per game have stayed stagnant. At the same time, the number of players who reached double-digit assists last year was the highest its been in 1o years.
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The Givers
This year has been a different story.
Only Russell Westbrook is averaging more than 10 dimes per game--barely--at 10.4. The rest of the league--as more and more teams start to play position-less basketball--has much more players averaging five assists per game.
The Givers, however are not your normal point guards. They're not your normal players, period. These three guys assist on more than 40 percent of the baskets made while they are on the floor. They are not "point" guards, they are "pass" guards.
Rajon Rondo
We've seen this story before from Rondo. His career assist average is 8.4. He has led the league three different times in assists. In 2011-12 he assisted on an astounding 52.5 percent of the team's buckets when he was on the floor. Also, when Rondo was on, the rest of the NBA took notice.
This season, despite losing DeMarcus Cousins, Rondo is flirting with double-digit assists once again. His assist percentage stands at 41. His assists per 100 possessions (14.3) is the best in the league. There are only a few players who have taken better advantage of a situation better than Rondo when combined with generational talent. First in Boston. Now with Anthony Davis.
For Rondo, as long as he has playing time, he'll fill up the assists category. The problem is Rondo's Box Plus/Minus is -2.1, one of the worst on the team. That too, is also very Rondo.
John Wall
Not only did Wall gift a $40,000 Rolex, but he's making his teammates Wizards money on the court as well. This year, Wall is averaging 9.3 assists per game, but his assist percentage is at 42.6 percent. Bradley Beal made his first All-Star appearance, scoring a career high 23.7 points. Otto Porter and Kelly Oubre are having career years as well.
For some reason, one of the only players who has not improved this season fired shots at Wall after he went down with an injury after the Rolexes.
What kind of guy accepts a Rolex and then goes after his point guard. Wall and Gortat have made up, reportedly, but to add insult to injury, Wall will be out until March.
No telling what he'll give his teammates for St. Patrick's Day.
Chris Paul
Chris Paul is a perfect example of how the NBA's new fascination with speed and space have affected someone's fantasy basketball value. Paul has led the league in assist percentage six out of his 12 years in the NBA. His lowest marks were his first two years in the league at 38.1 and 41.3 respectively .This year he is at 42.1 percent.
Chris Paul is aptly nicknamed "Point God." Mainly because he can do stuff like this:
And this:
And this:
His first year in Houston has been different, however. He is not even the assist leader on his own team. That honor belongs to James Harden. His assists are down, but his points, rebounds and threes are all up. Even with his assists down, because of that percentage, he is still top five in assists per game, assists per 100 possessions and assists per 36 minutes.
For some, you can change their role, but to give is inherent.
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