The Greatest Playmakers In NBA History

Basketball is not just about scoring points. Somebody has to get the ball to players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone. If this was a one-man show, then five players would not be on the floor. The “floor general” typically features a point guard, but we have seen that other players can step into the role and shine as well.

The greatest playmakers of all time have piled the assists on in their careers. From leading the league to leading the all-time statistics, these playmakers have proven they are some of the greatest point guards in the league. Some players had to craft their game towards this ability as they got older.

All in all, these are the greatest playmakers of all time.

Honorable Mention

Mark Jackson

Jackson grew into an All-Star at a young age when he played for the Knicks. That included averaging 10.6 assists per game during his rookie season at 22 years old. That was one of two -times that Jackson averaged double-digit assists for a season. His career high came in 1996-97 when he led the league with 11.4 per game.

With 8.0 assists per game for his career, Jackson ranks fifth all-time with 10,334 assists. He is one of seven players to reach at least 10,000 assists in his career. He accumulated that number with the Knicks, Pacers, Clippers, Nuggets, Raptors, Jazz, and Rockets.

10. Gary Payton

Known for his defense, Payton was also someone that found ways to get the ball to his teammates. During his heyday with the SuperSonics, he had the likes of Shawn Kemp and Detlef Schrempf, but make no mistake that he was also piling on about 20 points per game and playing All-First Team defense. Payton is 10th all-time in career assists, with 8,966 to his name.

Payton averaged 6.7 assists for his career. That included averaging at least 6.0 assists 14 times. Payton reached at least 7.0 assists in 10 consecutive seasons, which included five straight years of at least 8.0 assistants and his career average of 9.0 during the 2001-02 season.

9. Russell Westbrook

The new king of the triple-double features one of the hardest-working guards we have seen in the league. Westbrook has averaged a triple-double for a single-season four times. His first time came during the 2016-17 season when he led the league in scoring with 31.6 points to go with 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists. Westbrook did not lead the league in assists that season, but he has accomplished that three times. He led the league in assists in 2018, 2019, and 2021. The 2020-21 season saw him average 22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 11.7 assists per game.

Westbrook has averaged at least 8.0 assists eight times in his career. Between 2015 to 2021, Westbrook averaged at least double-digit assists in five of the six seasons. Westbrook owns a career mark of 8.4 to go with 8,697 career assists. That total has him 11th all-time. Assuming he can stick around in the league a few more years, he should have no problem reaching 10,000 for his career.

8. Isiah Thomas

For his ability to get to the lane, Thomas found a way to distribute the ball. He had Joe Dumars or Mark Aguirre on the sides, while he could dump the ball inside to Bill Laimbeer or Rick Mahorn if needed as well. While Thomas was one that found himself in the lane often, he made the most out of it by averaging a double-double four times in his career.

That streak came between 1983-1987 as the Pistons were contending for a championship. The Pistons won titles in 1989 and 1990, with Thomas leading the way, which included winning one Finals MVP Award. Thomas averaged 9.3 assists for his career. He averaged at least 7.0 assists per game, all but one season, and that one year came in his final season at 6.9 assists. With that, he reached at least 8.0 assists nine times, with his career high of 13.9 assists coming during the 1984-85 season. With 9,061 career assists, he ranks ninth all-time.

7. LeBron James

What can’t LeBron do? This is a man that has won a scoring title, played all five positions in his career, and has led the league in assists. As James approaches the all-time scoring mark, we can never forget that he ranks in the top 10 in all-time assists. James is seventh with 10,114 career assists, and he should make a push toward passing at least one player this season.

James owns a career average of 7.4 assists per game. After averaging 5.9 assists in his rookie season, James has reached at least 6.0 assists every season. That includes a stretch of at least 8.0 assists in four straight seasons between 2016 to 2020. James led the league in assists with a career-high 10.2 per game during the 2019-20 season. When it comes to positionless basketball, James is one of the kings.

6. Jason Kidd

A lot of respect should be put on Kidd’s name when it comes to running the offense. Think about the top talent that he had as a scorer during his prime. Kidd’s best offensive option with the Suns was Tom Gugliotta, and then Richard Jefferson with the Nets. Kidd was 34 years old when he joined the Mavericks and played with Dirk Nowitzki for a few years. It wasn’t the Nowitzki seasons when Kidd averaged his best stretch of playmaking.

Kidd led the league in assists five out of six seasons between 1998 to 2004. That included back-to-back seasons of at least double-digit assists. Kidd accomplished that three times, with his career high of 10.8 assists coming in 1998-99. Kidd reached at least 9.0 assists 10 times to help reach his career average of 8.7. His 12,091 career assists are the second most in NBA history.

5. Oscar Robertson

The former triple-double king made mountains out of molehills during his days in the 60s. With the Cincinnati Royals, Robertson was the prime reason those teams were competitive. He was the scorer, rebounder, and playmaker. That included averaging a triple-double in 1961-62, where he averaged 20.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists. Seven times Robertson led the league in assists, and four of those times featured double-digit assists.

Robertson’s 9.5 career assists featured nine consecutive seasons of at least 9.0 assists per game. Robertson averaged less than 7.0 assists per game once, and that was his final season when he averaged 6.4 assists. Currently, Robertson ranks eighth in career assists with 9,887.

4. Chris Paul

While Paul is not truly Magic Johnson, he is the closest player we have seen matching him. Paul has proven with five teams that he belongs to be in the conversation as the best playmaker ever. He began his career with the Pelicans and led the league in assists two times. He remains the all-time leader in assists with New Orleans. Then, he orchestrated “Lob City” with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan and led the league in assists two more times. Paul is also the career leader in assists with the Clippers.

Paul led the league in assists last year with the Suns and nearly reached his career high of 11.6 assists by averaging 10.8 per game at 36 years old. With 9.5 career assists per game, Paul has reached double-digit assists averages seven times. With 11,071 career assists, he remains 1,000 assists away from reaching second all-time, so it appears he could move up from third if he sticks around two more seasons.

3. Steve Nash

Nash won two MVPs primarily because he was the best playmaker in the league. When Nash won the league MVP in 2005-06, he joined the 50-40-90 Club, which included leading the league in free-throw percentage (92.1%) and assists (11.5). That was one of five items that Nash led the league in assists. All of those times came when he was in his 30s. He led the league in assists for three consecutive years between 2005 and 2007, then again in back-to-back seasons in 2010 and 2011.

Nash has reached double-digit assists for a season seven times to help him get to an 8.5 average for his career. He played alongside some great players in Dirk Nowitzki, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Shawn Marion, but the offense all started with him. Nash is fourth all-time with 10,335 career assists.

2. John Stockton

The relationship between Stockton and Karl Malone has a real “what came first in the chicken or the egg” feeling to it. We could say that Stockton’s career was a product of Malone’s dominant scoring, but it was Stockton passing the ball most of the time. After all, Stockton averaged 10.5 assists for his career and led the league in assists for nine consecutive seasons between 1988 to 1996. That included averaging at least 12 assists eight times, 13 assists five times, and going over the 14-assist mark twice.

The 1989-90 season saw Stockton average a career-high 14.5 assists per game, and then he followed that with 14.2 assists the next year. Stockton averaged less than 7.0 assists per game once, and that was his 5.1 assists during his rookie season. The 15,806 career assists that Stockton owns is the career record, and it is likely a record that will never be broken.

1. Magic Johnson

The one player that could have held the record for career assists to this day lost four seasons due to an HIV diagnosis. Those four seasons cost Johnson four quality prime seasons, given that he was forced to retire at the age of 31. Johnson came back to play at 36 years old, but he was not the player that was the most dominant playmaker of the 80s. Johnson’s 11.2 career assists per game is an NBA record, as is the 12.3 assists he averaged in 190 games in the playoffs.

Despite losing that time, Johnson’s 10,141 career assists are sixth on the all-time list. Had he played those following seasons, who knows where his total would be? With that said, he would have been in better shape and could probably have continued a long career similar to the likes of Nash and Paul. Johnson led the league in assists four times during a nine-year stretch that saw him average at least double-digit assists. Johnson averaged at least 12 assists six times and hit his career high of 13.1 assists during the 1983-84 season.  

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