why do people conflate assist numbers with making your teammates better?

[GimmeThat]

your argument is true if only 1 person is getting the assist, but if you look at the spurs where everyone is getting them then you are wrong.

well, according to 82games.com

Kawhi Leonard and Boris Diaw are the two players on the Spurs who's eFG% at 21+ is actually higher than the 16-20 mark

that tells you something about team play/assists and role of importance on the Spurs.


does Reggie Miller makes his teammates better by getting into open position?

Remember when people thought Anderson Varejao was overpaid?

[STATUTORY]

Because shooting the basketball or going for the easy lay up is the favorite pass teammates enjoy getting.

I mean, what do you mean a player needs to make decisions besides shooting when they catch a ball? Isn't that like the coaches job in practice?

Critical thinking abilities from teammates?


you're crazy to think that makes a teammate better


[1/2 SARCASM]

the point is. because of the nature of basketball, especially in regular season, every game there will be a number of opportunities for easy baskets: a shooter left open, a good cut, a fastbreak etc, just because of defensive lapses or good offense.

With a coherent team, those opportunities are scoring and assist opportunities. Someone on the team will be making a pass and the recipient of the pass will score.

It really does not matter for the success of the team who is making that pass because there's no special talent required for those plays. that is really a team assist, or an assist that happens naturally in the flow of the game.

Because a guy like Lebron dominates the rock for 40+ mins a game, he's getting credited most of those assists but if someone else was dribbling he would also get the assist because it takes no special talent to make those passes.

There's no value to those assists, that's why APG needs to be contexualized.

[knicksman]

making your teammates is training your teammates and not how many assists. Its what jordan did to pippen. He pushed him hard. And its also the ability to coexist. Meaning sacrificing stats to fit another players game. Like jordan sacrificing his apg for pippen. Im sure pippen wouldnt be even an allstar playing with bran.