Assist (basketball)

Carlos Arroyo of the Utah Jazz (left) passing to a teammate (not shown) for an assist.

In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. This person is known as the "assistor." According to the Official 2004 NCAA Basketball Statistics Rules, an assist has to be "a major part of the play," which either finds the player already with a "positional advantage", or helps him or her get one. There is thus some judgement involved in deciding whether a player deserves an assist. An assist can be scored for the passer even if the player who receives the pass makes a basket after dribbling the ball. This definition is more generous than the original criteria [1], making comparisons across eras more difficult.

Unlike other sports like ice hockey, an assist only counts for the pass directly before the score, and so only one assist can be recorded on each field goal. A pass that leads to a shooting foul and scoring by free throws does not count as an assist.

Players can get themselves into position to receive assists in a variety of ways. The main way is to come off a screen, which, if executed properly, will leave the player open for a shot. Other times the defense will double team an offensive player, leaving someone else open to receive the assist.

Point guards tend to get the most assists per game (apg), as their role is primarily that of a passer and ballhandler. Centers tend to get the least as they are primarily scorers and rebounders. A notable exception is center Wilt Chamberlain, who led the NBA in assists in 1968.

John Stockton, Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, and Bob Cousy are widely considered the greatest ever at delivering assists in the NBA. Stockton holds the record for most total assists in a career, with 15,806. Behind him is Mark Jackson, whose 10,334 assists are a distant second to Stockton's total. Magic Johnson holds the record for most average apg for a career with 11.2, Stockton is second with 10.5. Stockton, Jackson, and Johnson were all point guards. The NBA single-game assist record is 30, held by Scott Skiles of the Orlando Magic against the Denver Nuggets, on December 30, 1990. Oscar Robertson had 9,887 career assists at a time when assists were only awarded for field goals made without a dribble. He was the first player to average more than 10 assists per game in a season, and led the NBA in assists six times. Cousy led the league in assists eight straight seasons.

Other players that are considered to be great at giving assists are: Gary Payton, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Kevin Johnson, Lenny Wilkens, Scott Skiles, Nate Archibald, Tim Hardaway, and Isiah Thomas, among other notables.

There are many synonyms for the phrase "making an assist". Some of the most popular are "dishing the rock" and "dropping a dime".