We have spoken at length about the obvious increase in three-point shots and scoring in the NBA over the last few years. NBA players are scoring at ridiculous rates and turning in some of the most memorable individual performances we have seen in quite some time. One aspect of the game flying under the radar is the tremendous talent of many of the players making the passes to set up these scoring barrages. Perhaps more than ever, the skill of the passers and playmakers in the league is extremely elite.
- Tier 5
- Dejounte Murray, Fred VanVleet, D’Angelo Russell, Jamal Murray, Tre Jones
- Tier 4
- Draymond Green, Marcus Smart, Mike Conley, Darius Garland, Jalen Brunson, De’Aaron Fox, Stephen Curry
- Tier 3
- Domantas Sabonis, Ja Morant, Russell Westbrook, Jrue Holiday, Damian Lillard, Josh Giddey
- Tier 2
- James Harden, LeBron James, Trae Young, Tyrese Haliburton, Chris Paul
- Tier 1
- Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic
There are big men averaging near triple-doubles on the season. There are guards and forwards dishing out more half-court and full-court dimes than ever. There are the players we consider to be elite scorers and triple-double machines evolving their games to become elite passers. Everywhere we turn today, there is another player, young or old, elevating their game and their team’s success by becoming more of a willing and intelligent passer of the basketball. Today, we celebrate the 25 best passers in the NBA right now by placing them in tiers. Make no mistake about it, all 25 are among the best in the league at maximizing their teammates’ production with their passing.
These are the best passers in the NBA right now by tiers.
Rule: Players must have played at least 50 games in 2022-23 to qualify for this list.
Tier 5
Dejounte Murray, Fred VanVleet, D’Angelo Russell, Jamal Murray, Tre Jones
Tier 5 begins with the slightly above-average passers in the NBA right now. Being Trae Young’s teammate isn’t exactly easy when looking for an increase in your assists numbers considering he is one of the best passing point guards in basketball. Still, Dejounte Murray was decent in his first year, sharing the backcourt with Young. Murray played in 74 games and averaged 6.1 APG on the year, which ranks T-23rd in the NBA. He did this while averaging over 20.0 PPG and 1.5 SPG on defense.
Fred VanVleet and the Toronto Raptors had a disappointing season, to say the least. They were eliminated during the play-in tournament by the Bulls with many questions for the organization looming for the offseason. VanVleet, who is one of those questions they will need to answer, had his best season as a passer averaging a career-high 7.2 APG with just 2.0 turnovers per contest. His 495 total assists ranked 12th in the NBA this season, as did his 7.2 APG.
D’Angelo Russell had an up-and-down season with the Minnesota Timberwolves before being dealt to the Lakers at the trade deadline. Russell’s arrival, along with a few others, turned the Lakers’ season around as they head into the playoffs with a ton of momentum on their side. Despite struggling with injuries, Russell averaged 6.2 APG for Minnesota and Los Angeles combined and dished out 437 total assists. He added seven assists in the Lakers’ Game 1 win over Memphis on Saturday as well. It is safe to say the Lakers will need Russell to continue to be a valuable asset as a passer to continue this run.
After missing over a year of action due to a knee injury, Jamal Murray returned to the Nuggets in 2022-23, much to the delight of the team’s fans everywhere. With the offense run through reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, finding assists can be hard with elite playmaking talent alongside you. However, Murray was still able to dish out 6.2 APG in his first season back along with 20.0 PPG as a scorer. He recorded 400 assists for the first time in his career as the Nuggets sailed to a 53-29 record and the best record in the West.
The final member of Tier 5 is a player you wouldn’t normally value unless you watched the Spurs this season. In his first year as the team’s starter at point guard, Tre Jones was a nice surprise for San Antonio as the year unfolded despite their goal of losing as much as possible. Jones played 68 games with the Spurs, dishing out 6.6 APG to just 1.6 turnovers. He nearly doubled his total assists from 2022 and recorded 448 assists in total which ranks 12th in the NBA. The future looks bright for Tre Jones if the Spurs plan to keep him as a part of their long-term plans.
Tier 4
Draymond Green, Marcus Smart, Mike Conley, Darius Garland, Jalen Brunson, De’Aaron Fox, Stephen Curry
There is no underestimating the value that Draymond Green brings to the Golden State Warriors on the court. As a defender and playmaker, he is priceless to their team and how their game plan is executed. In 2022-23, Green averaged 6.8 APG and dished out 500 assists for the fifth time in his 11-year career. The only thing Green needs to do on the court in the postseason for Golden State is stay healthy and keep his emotions in check in order for them to fight back from the 2-0 deficit they face against the Kings.
Marcus Smart is applauded much more for his defensive effort than anything he brings to the table on offense. The 2022-23 season was a little different for Smart, who followed up his Defensive Player of the Year performance with a career-best 6.3 APG and the second-most total assists of his career with 382. Smart and the Celtics managed to win 57 games and secured the number two seed in the Eastern Conference. His play as a passer could be crucial to how far they go the rest of the playoffs.
Mike Conley has always been underrated since his days with the Grizzlies in the early 2010s. In 2022-23, Conley had one of his best seasons as a passer in Utah and Minnesota’s offense. Conley was averaging 7.7 APG with Utah through 43 games before being dealt to the Timberwolves. In 24 games with Minnesota, Conley dished out just 5.0 APG but still, the result was a career-high 6.7 APG for Conley. He eclipsed 450 assists in a season for just the third time in his career and helped Minnesota navigate the play-in tournament to make the NBA playoffs as the eighth seed.
The Cleveland Cavaliers found themselves a gem when they selected Darius Garland fifth overall in 2019. Since entering the NBA four seasons ago, Garland has been improving every season as a scorer, defender, and playmaker. In 2022-23, the Cavaliers were one of the East’s best teams, winning 51 games and securing the fourth seed in the playoffs. Garland would be a 21.0 PPG scorer for the Cavaliers once again but also would dish out the 7th-highest assists total with 538 and APG with 7.8 APG of anyone in the NBA. If anything, he could be much higher on this list and could help get the Cavaliers past the first round of the playoffs.
One of the best surprises of the 2022-23 season has been the move of Jalen Brunson from Dallas to the Knicks as a free agent. Brunson immediately adapted to the New York way and led them to a fifth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. On the season, Brunson would average 6.2 APG and 421 total assists. I guess one’s passing numbers will look a lot better when not sharing the backcourt with another ball-dominant point guard, huh?
De’Aaron Fox was electric this season with the Kings as he helped lead the Kings to the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. Fox was the most clutch player in basketball this season and a thorn in the side of every opponent once the fourth quarter rolled around, a trend that continues in the NBA playoffs. He excelled as a passer this season as well, dishing out 6.1 APG and a near career-low 2.5 turnovers. His 447 total assists were the second-highest total of his career as well. Through two games in the first round against the Warriors in 2022-23, Fox is averaging 7.0 APG along with 31.0 PPG and 3.5 SPG.
The final member of Tier 4 is the greatest three-point shooter in NBA history and one of the highest scorers in NBA playoff history. Stephen Curry does not get a ton of recognition for the passer he is or the playmaker he is with the ball in his hands. Considering the defenses thrown his way, Curry has been quite efficient at making great passes from double teams. In 2022-23, Curry averaged 6.3 APG but only 352 assists due to 26 games missed on the year. Curry has yet to find his shooting stroke in the first round against the Kings and is only averaging 4.0 APG through two games.
Tier 3
Domantas Sabonis, Ja Morant, Russell Westbrook, Jrue Holiday, Damian Lillard, Josh Giddey
Tier 3 is when we begin to enter the elite territory for passers and see our first big man on the list. Not only did Domantas Sabonis inherit his passing skills from his father, but his rebounding isn’t bad either as he led the NBA with 12.3 RPG on the year. As a passer, Sabonis led the Kings with 7.3 APG and held his turnovers to the lowest they have been since 2020. His 573 assists were by far a career-high, as he recorded 500 assists in a season for the first time. Sabinis has been held in check for the most part against the Warriors passing-wise, but when he gets unleashed, it could be trouble for them down the road.
In a tumultuous season for one of the NBA’s most exciting players, Ja Morant still managed to have himself a good season for the Memphis Grizzlies. Morant missed 21 games this year for various reasons on and off the court but still dished out 8.1 APG in 61 games and a career-high 493 on the season. His improvement as a playmaker and passer showed a different gear that Memphis could hit if he is healthy and able to play. Morant needs to lock back in and help Memphis take back home-court advantage against the Lakers after falling in Game 1.
Regardless of what you wish to say about Russell Westbrook over the past few years, there is no denying his impact on winning basketball in the right situation. On one hand, Westbrook had his fewest turnovers since 2013. On the other hand, he still had over 3.0 turnovers which need to come down. He averaged 7.5 APG and was much better for the Clippers than the Lakers in 2022-23. Westbrook’s 7.5 APG is his most since playing for Washington in 2021, his 551 total assists ranked sixth in the NBA.
Another one of the premier perimeter defenders in the NBA over the last few seasons has been Jrue Holiday with the Milwaukee Bucks. He has also stepped his game up as a scorer, playmaker, and passer since arriving with the team in 2021 and winning a championship that same season. His 7.4 APG in 2022-23 was his most since joining the Bucks, and his 495 assists were the most for him in a season since 2013. Holiday was an All-Star in 2022-23 and will need to remain at that level if the Bucks wish to capture another NBA title.
Damian Lillard is another one of the great active scorers in NBA playoff history. Although we won’t see him there in 2022-23, Lillard has made it clear he intends to be on a playoff team moving forward. In 2022-23, Lillard averaged 7.3 APG playing 58 games after missing most of 2022 with an abdominal injury. It is pretty spectacular when you realize that Lillard averaged over 32.0 PPG as well. He really was trying to do everything he could to get Portland back in the playoffs.
Josh Giddey is the youngest member of our list, but if anyone has watched even 5 seconds of this kid, they get it. It is not about the number of assists he dished out or the versatile weapon he is on offense. Instead, it is the way he attacks and makes it look so effortless that it mesmerizes audiences everywhere. Giddey’s assists numbers were pretty low, considering he averaged 6.2 APG, but his 469 total ranked 16th in the NBA as he missed only six games on the season.
Tier 2
James Harden, LeBron James, Trae Young, Tyrese Haliburton, Chris Paul
The final seven players on this list are the most elite seven passers in the NBA today, period. James Harden just took home his second career assists title in 2022-23, averaging 10.7 APG. It was his third season in a row averaging at least 10.0 APG as he also added 21.0 PPG alongside MVP-favorite Joel Embiid. Harden took care of the ball better than in recent years as well, averaging less than 4.0 turnovers per game for the first time since 2014.
LeBron James will be on this list and toward the top until the day he decides to step away from the game. James can make any pass in any situation. There has never been anyone better than him at getting penetration into the lane and finding his teammates as they move off the ball. His 6.8 APG does not tell the entire story, as his playmaking has single-handedly won games and championships over the course of his career. Even at 38 years old, James is still one of the few players I trust to make the right pass in critical moments every single night. Something tells me the Lakers are in good hands with LeBron, who is the all-time playoff leader in just about everything.
For the second straight season, Trae Young led the NBA in total assists, and not a word has been spoken about it. Young was the only player to record over 700 assists in 2022-23 and was one of only three players to average over 10.0 APG on the year as well. Young and the Hawks struggled amid coaching changes and inner turmoil, all while Young kept things afloat as a scorer, playmaker, and passer.
Tyrese Haliburton was the NBA’s assists leader for most of the season until an injury knocked him out of the race about midway. Haliburton would end up averaging 10.4 APG on the season for the Indiana Pacers, a team that showed promise and fizzled out by the end of the year. Haliburton was an All-Star for the first time this season as well as he showcased his ability to run an offense at an elite level.
The final member of Tier 2 is still one of the best in the NBA, just two weeks shy of his 38th birthday. Chris Paul has always been one of the more elite and skilled passers in basketball. He is able to get the best out of his teammates when running the offense and makes every big man he plays with exponentially better. Paul’s 8.9 APG ranked fourth in the NBA this year, and he was one of 11 players to reach the 500 assists mark as well. Phoenix will need Paul to be just as smart and creative if they are going to compete for a title like many expect them to.
Tier 1
Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic
The two passers who sit alone at the top of the pyramid are by far the best in the business. Nikola Jokic is a center the likes of which we rarely have, if ever, seen in the NBA. He is a methodical assassin from every spot on the floor, able to make a decision in a split second to find his teammates for an open three across the court or go for it himself. The offense runs through Jokic and Denver has succeeded because of it. Jokic is one of four players to average over 9.0 APG this season and recorded the second-most assists in the NBA at 678. His passing is what makes him a two-time MVP and one of the most spectacular offensive big men in the game today, and ever.
The final player in Tier 1 has to be Luka Doncic. There have been countless times when Doncic has put the Mavericks on his back and carried them to victory with just his passing and playmaking. Although, he is a pretty good scorer, too, with 32.4 PPG in 2022-23. He averaged 8.0 APG in 2022-23 and recorded over 500 total assists for the fourth straight season. Doncic’s play did not amount to any playoff spot for Dallas but I would look out for what he might do on the court in 2023-24.
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