There are too many excellent passers in the league, James, Doncic, Harden, Westbrook and other players, they may be good at different ways of passing, but it is undeniable that they are all known as the NBA master passers. When it comes to passing, Chris Paul can't be ignored, known as the "God of Point Guard", he won the regular season assist title 5 times in his peak, and has delivered a total of 11,894 assists in his 19-year career so far.
In the top five rankings of 15+ assists in a single game in NBA history, Paul's name is also impressively listed, but he is only as strong as he can only rank fourth, so let's take a look at how many 15+ assists per game Paul and the other four players have in their respective careers.
5. Isaiah Thomas (98 times)
He averaged 19.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game in his career
In 1981, "Smiling Assassin" Thomas was selected by the Pistons with the second pick in the first round, and he quickly adapted to the NBA game after entering the league that year, so he averaged 17 points, 2.9 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 2.1 steals per game in his rookie season, and he was also selected as an All-Star during the regular season.
Later, around Thomas, the Pistons built a lineup that was enough to compete for the championship, and before officially winning the championship, Thomas was not only selected to the best team many times, but also successfully won the assist title in 1985, where he averaged 21.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 13.9 assists per game. In 1989 and 1990, Thomas helped the Pistons win championships for two consecutive seasons, including the 1990 series against the Trail Blazers, where he was named FMVP for averaging 27.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 7 assists per game.
However, due to injuries, Thomas only played 12 seasons in the NBA, so his career total of 9,061 assists did not exceed the 10,000 mark.
4. Chris Paul (107 times)
He averaged 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 9.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game in his career
Paul, who entered the league in 2005, as a rookie, his performance in the first year of the NBA can be said to be quite outstanding, at the age of 20, he averaged 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game, and when taking on a lot of ball possession and facing the NBA's high-intensity defense, Paul's turnover control is still very good, he averaged only 2.3 turnovers per game that year, just looking at the style of play, Paul at that time did not look like a rookie at all.
In the 2007-2008 season, as a third-year rookie, Paul took his game up several notches, averaging 21.1 points, 11.6 assists and 2.7 steals per game in the regular season, all three of which were career highs, and he also won the first assist title of his career. Since this year, Paul has gradually secured the position of the league's No. 1 point guard, and he has been selected for the best team many times, so it can be said that Paul was the best template for point guards at that time.
As he gets older, Paul's athleticism has declined a lot, but he is not a player who mainly plays the ball in the first place, so he is still very good as a playmaker on the court. Even Paul, who is now 39 years old, averaged 9.2 points and 6.8 assists per game last season, and under his leadership, the Warriors' bench often won points as soon as they played. Paul, who is about to play under Popovich in the new season, is also a good fit for this team, and the combination of him and Wembanyama is also very exciting.
3. Steve Nash (110 times)
He averaged 14.3 points, 3 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game in his career
As a two-time MVP, Nash's strength at his peak is undoubted, and after returning to the Suns in 2004, he averaged a double-double per game for a total of seven seasons, including five times he won the assist award. In addition, in 2005 and 2006, Nash beat Kobe Bryant and other supergiants to win two MVPs, although it is said that his statistics are not as luxurious as other players, but Nash's ability to lead the team at that time is not comparable to others.
As the offensive engine of the Suns back then, Nash's presence or absence directly determines the quality of the Suns' offense, and only after he is on the court can the Suns play that kind of gorgeous offense. With his nimble breakout and out-of-the-box vision, Nash can use his offense to create better opportunities for his teammates, while he doesn't miss a single great fast-break pass.
So even with a setback in the early stages of his career, Nash still dished out 10,335 assists in the end, which can also rank fifth in NBA history.
2. Magic Johnson (180 times)
He averaged 19.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 11.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game in his career
As the greatest point guard in NBA history, Magic can be said to have changed people's perception back then, he is a player with a height of more than 2.05 meters, but he is a point guard on the court. The advantage that height gives the Magic is that he has a very wide passing vision, he can see into any corner of the court, especially when he is on a fast break, and he can pass all kinds of unseen passes to his teammates who are following up.
In his less than 13-year career as a Magician, he averaged a double-double in eight seasons, including six seasons in which he averaged more than 12 assists per game, including 13.1 assists per game in one of his peak seasons. Under the leadership of Magic, the star-studded Lakers team can be twisted into a rope, and his presence allows every player to score on the court.
With his outstanding performance at his peak, even though Magic's career is not long, he still has 10,141 assists (seventh all-time), and in the playoffs, Magic can rank first in history with 2,346 assists, and no one has the possibility of surpassing him for the time being.
1. John Stockton (293 times)
He averaged 13.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, 10.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game in his career
Stockton, who entered the league in 1984, didn't perform very well in the first three seasons of his career, but he has been on the rise since he was promoted to the starting team in the fourth year, averaging double-doubles in 10 consecutive seasons since that year. At his peak, Stockton won the assist title nine times, including five consecutive seasons in which he averaged more than 13 assists per game, so it was not news that he had more than 15 assists in a single game at that time.
By the time Stockton retired, he had been in the league for 19 seasons, and his total assists eventually came to 15,806, which is also unique in NBA history, with a gap of 3,715 assists between Kidd, who ranks second in history, and Paul, who is closest to Stockton, is close to 4,000 assists from Stockton.