Golden touch: Warriors bring assists stat to prominence

Many years ago, isolation basketball was a staple of the NBA game.

Two players would be stationed on one side of the court, and the one in the low-post position would virtually be isolated one-on-one with a defender.

That brand of basketball has given way to a more sophisticated up-tempo style where the ball is whipped around the perimeter in pinball fashion, thus making the art of creating an assist a formidable and exciting part of today’s game.

Making assists is the crafty way teams have formulated their success, and one of the primary reasons the Golden State Warriors were able to claim last season’s NBA title. The ball is shared, similar to “likes” in the social media world, where every player frequently gets a piece of the action.

The assist is one of the most overlooked statistical categories in basketball. It’s also one of the most valuable in a team game. The assist is defined as a pass that directly leads to a score.

“The assist is very important, especially in today’s game,” said Dallas Mavericks point guard Deron Williams, who averages 5.7 per game. “It’s kind of going away from isolation ball and one player dominating the ball for a game.

“It’s about ball movement. The way teams are defending now the ball has to change sides in order for you to score, so the assist is a very important aspect of that.”

The Warriors and San Antonio Spurs are first and second in the Western Conference and leading the NBA with 28.9 and 25.5 assists per game, respectively.

“It’s a team game and you’ve got to use your teammates, and one of the biggest things about that is the assist,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said. “We’re really big on that, we try to hang our hats on that, and that’s something that we’re always looked to improve.”

More assists means more points.

“Teams that share the ball have a lot of people touching it and that just keeps all of the players engaged and it keeps them involved in the game,” said Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, whose team plays the Chicago Bulls at 7 p.m. Friday at the United Center. “I always feel like the more different people touch the ball, the more the puck goes in.

“Teams that have a lot of assists have a lot of points. It’s not just a theory, it’s a fact.”

Sacramento guard and former Maverick Rajon Rondo leads the NBA in assists with 11.6 a game. The champion Warriors have two players in the top 12, Green and guard Stephen Curry. Curry’s listing is even more impressive because he also leads the league in scoring.

Cleveland forward Kevin Love acknowledged that the Cavaliers are adamant about manufacturing what is called the “hockey assist.” That’s when as many players as possible touch the ball during a possession, and whoever is open winds up taking — and hopefully making — the shot.

“You see that a lot on this team,” Love said. “We’ve mentioned it a lot lately — our hockey assists. We practice making the extra pass, looking for the next guy.”

The assist, by all accounts, serves as a platform for some sort of team bonding.

“The art of the assist is passing to somebody who can shoot it the easiest way, but I think it does such a great job of team building out there, sharing the ball with each other,” Mavericks guard Devin Harris said. “I think that’s the toughest thing to guard is when you’ve got five guys sharing the ball and not really caring who gets the basket.

“When they’re really moving the ball, a team is really tough to guard.”

As far as Cleveland forward Richard Jefferson is concerned, the assist is his team’s ticket to greatness.

“For us, it’s everything,” Jefferson said. “We have so many talented players, one-on-one players, so for us to get that assist and that extra pass lets us know that we’re playing the right way.

“Because it’s easy when you have a lot of talent for guys to try and do it on their own. You have so many guys that can go and get a bucket and create their own shot, but when you’re creating and you’re doing it to help your teammates out, I think that’s the most important thing.”

Emphasis on assists can reduce a team’s level of unselfishness and create energy.

“I think the assist is everything,” Mavericks guard J.J. Barea said. “The assist creates energy for the shot.

“I think when you look at the stat sheet the first thing you look at is the assists. The team with the highest assists will probably win.”

Earvin “Magic’ Johnson and John Stockton are two of the greatest assist-makers in NBA history. Both are Hall of Famers.

Stockton is the all-time leader with 15,806. He never won an NBA title, but his Utah Jazz team reached the Finals in 1997 and ’98.

Johnson is fifth on the all-time list with 10,141. His wizardry passing the ball catapulted the “Showtime” Lakers to five world championships.

Two former Mavericks, Jason Kidd (12,091) and Steve Nash (10,335), are second and third on the all-time list.

“I grew up idolizing Magic — my dad was a Lakers fan,” Harris said “Obviously, the way he ran the offense and the assists he stacked up were amazing.

“Penny Hardaway was another guy who liked dishing the ball, and Jason Kidd was a walking triple-double coming up. When you’re working toward a common goal — getting a good shot or a great shot — you’ll see guys really pass up an open shot to get a great one, and when teams do that, teams tend to be really as one on offense and really tough to guard.”

Even on the most star-laden teams in the league, there’s room for assists.

“We don’t really like playing isolation basketball,” Green said of his Warriors. “Obviously, we’ve got some guys that can do it.

“But I think we know we’re best when we’re moving the ball and you’re getting four, five or six passes in a possession. And that’s when you get the defense moving side-to-side, and that’s when everything starts to flow well.”

This story was originally published January 14, 2016 at 6:19 PM with the headline "Golden touch: Warriors bring assists stat to prominence."