Looking over the field, all I can say is get your
assists early or pay the price.
The top players have really separated themselves in this
category, and if you don’t get one of them you’ll have to really
pay particular attention to nabbing second tier players that also
get you a lot of statistics in other categories.
I don’t think I’d risk it, though. You have to go for one of the
top 5 players if you hope to have a chance in assists.
Tier 1
-
Chris Paul - 925 - The only way Paul is not
worth the #1 pick in the draft is if the Olympics take their toll
and he can’t play at least 75 games. He is also among the league
leaders in steals and points, so Paul will get his. Add to that
some decent three point shooting, field goal percentage (for a
point guard), and free throw percentage and you’ve got one heck of
a pick. If you have the first pick in the draft, you have to pick
Paul.
-
Deron Williams - 862 - Chris Paul and Deron
Williams are 1 and 2 in the league at the point guard position, but
Williams can be had in the second round, whereas Paul shouldn’t
even fall to the second pick. I’ve pushed Williams above Steve Nash
because Williams is on his way up and Nash is on his way down and
has a new coach dictating the offense. Compared to Paul, Williams
makes more field goals (50.7% vs 48.8%) and less free throws (80.3%
vs 85.1%) and a much fewer amount of steals. The rebounds are about
equal, but Williams also gets nearly 80 more turnovers per
season.
-
Steve Nash - 898 - I’m not sure what this
drops to this year, but he’s still one of the best point guards in
the league, especially in the assist department. He’ll probably be
available in the second round of your league.
-
Jason Kidd - 806 - Kidd’s field goal
percentage is attrocious, but luckily it shouldn’t hurt you too
much because he doesn’t take that many shots. His free throw
percentage, three pointers, rebounds, and steals are all good (and
the rebounds are especially good for a point guard). He’ll probably
go in the third round, but probably won’t fall much lower than the
early fourth round.
-
Jose Calderon - 678 - Calderon is no longer
competing for time with T.J. Ford, so expect him to be in the 800s
this year. He’s a third round pick in most leagues, but you
wouldn’t be reaching too much to take him in the second round. His
field goal percentage is stellar (51.9%) as is his free throw
percentage (90.8%). Best of all his turnovers are very low (126)
for this caliber of point guard, although more playing time will
more likely mean a few more turnovers.
If you didn’t get one of the guys above, you will have to go for
at least two of these in the second tier if you hope to
compete in assists at all. Especially look for guys that will help
you in other statistical categories or can be had in late
rounds.
Tier 2
-
Baron Davis - 623 - It’s probably a safe bet
that Davis won’t be getting 600 assists playing for the Clippers,
even if he manages to stay healthy, which I doubt. Somewhere closer
to 500 might be a better bet for him.
-
Allen Iverson - 586 - There is some doubt on
whether he will play the full season for the Nuggets, so it’s hard
to judge where Iverson might be in the assists category. He
normally gets quite a few, though, and his points and steals are
guaranteed to be high no matter where he goes.
-
Raymond Felton - 583 - There is some doubt on
whether Felton will even start the whole year with a young rookie
point guard breathing down his neck. If you are really struggling
in assists you could take him with a ninth or tenth round pick, but
hopefully you’ve already shored up your assists long before this
point.
-
Andre Miller - 565 - A solid fifth or sixth
rounder if you’re hurting for assists. The problem with Miller is
that he doesn’t get you much else besides a fairly good amount of
steals. Hopefully you aren’t still looking for assists in the fifth
round.
-
LeBron James - 539 - You aren’t picking this
guy up for his assists so much as for his all around game and,
especially, his points. But his assists definitely put him up to
the top of the second tier. Of course, you aren’t going to get him
any lower than half way through the first round.
-
Chauncey Billups - 529 - Billups is always a
solid second rounder, especially for his free throw percentage. I
have won many a league with Chauncey on my team. He has a lower
than normal amount of turnovers, too, so he doesn’t hurt you where
other point guards often do.
If you haven’t gotten enough assists at this point, you are
definitely in trouble. But for moving you up to the top in assists
and getting you well positioned in other categories, here are a few
more players whose assists should encourage you to consider
them.
Tier 3
-
Joe Johnson - 474 A solid late third rounder,
who is especially worth of consideration if he drops to the fourth
round.
-
Kirk Hinrich - 452 - It’s hard to say how much
playing time he will get in Chicago. Still, he might be a good
player to pick for your bench on the off chance that he gets traded
this season (as is rumored), or somebody ahead of him gets
injured.
-
Kobe Bryant - 441 - Won’t last beyond pick 3.
You’re picking him because he scored 2323 points last year.
-
Brandon Roy - 430 - He has a lot of young
teammates to pass to in Portland these days. He’ll probably go in
the fourth round, but that might be a little high to take him
unless his stats improve a lot this year, which they very well
might.
-
Mo Williams - 419 - He’ll be bringing the ball
up and passing it to LBJ this year. Not sure how this affects his
assists, but I’d count on them staying steady and not really
improving drastically.