Tag: passing

  • Who are some other great passing big men like Nikola Jokic?

    Centers:

    Wilt Chamberlain led the league in assists as a center. He averaged 4.4 APG during his career.

    Bill Russell often started and orchestrated the offense especially after the retirement of Bob Cousy. He averaged 4.3 APG during his career.

    Wes Unseld would often grab a rebound and use it to start an outlet pass to his teammates. He averaged 3.9 APG for his career.

    Dave Cowens was a phenomenal passer out of the post. He averaged 3.8 APG for his career.

    Bill Walton’s passes made him the most talented passing center in the game after Wilt’s retirement. He averaged 3.4 APG for his career.

    Arvydas Sabonis was known as one hell of a passer for his size, but it’s a shame we didn’t see too much of his best passes in the NBA. He averaged 2.1 APG for his career (but this is because he came into the league late).

    Alvan Adams was a fantastic passing center and unfortunately rather forgotten. He averaged 4.1 APG for his career.

    Sam Lacey was another great passing center that is forgotten. He averaged 3.7 APG for his career.

    Brad Daughtery was another great passing center that gets forgotten sometimes. He averaged 3.7 APG for his career.

    and Jokic of course the best passing big men of the modern era he reminds me of a combination of Walton and Sabonis which is to say he’s a fantastic passer for his size and just in general

     

    Power forwards

    Chris Webber was a phenomenal passing PF. He averaged 4.2 APG for his career.

    So was Kevin Garnett. He averaged 3.7 APG for his career.

    Charles Barkley was a tremendous passer too, and would often bring the ball up the court. He averaged 3.9 APG for his career.

    healthy Blake Griffin’s passing was a beautiful thing to watch as well. He averages 4.1 APG for his career.

    Giannis’ passing skills definitely command respect as he can definitely bring the ball up and orchestrate the offense. He averages 4.6 APG for his career.

    Connie Hawkins is an often forgotten about player but he had superb court vision whether he played SF, PF or C. He averaged 4.1 APG for his career.

    Billy Cunningham whether he was playing SF or PF could certainly pass like a guard as well. he averaged 4.3 APG for his career.

    George McGinnis was the prototype Lebron he would run the ball up the court as a PF and orchestrate the team’s offense. He averaged 3.7 APG for his career.

    Larry Bird was one of the greatest passing forwards ever, and yes he also counts as a PF (he played PF early in his career) as well as a big man. He averages 6.3 APG for his career.

    and of course Lebron James who can play PF and counts surely as a big man. He averages 7.4 APG for his career dwarfing everyone except for Jokic and Bird on this list in that stat.

  • Who were the best passing big men in NBA history?

    I’m assuming by big men you mean power forwards and centers.

    Here’s my top 10:

    1 – Nikola Jokic. Yes he is one of the best passers I’ve ever seen, regardless of position. He functions as a point center, which is a combination I’ve never really seen before. He averages over 6 APG, peaking at over 8 APG in his best season!

    2 – Wilt Chamberlain. At his peak he was averaging 8+ assists a game, incredible for a center. He averaged over 4 APG his whole career.

    3 – Bill Russell. Right behind Wilt. I think Russell’s passes were probably more impactful, given that Wilt at times could be seen as a stat chaser. Russell didn’t care about his stats, but his natural passing skills led to more winning. He averaged over 4 APG for his career, peaking at over 5 APG.

    4 – Chris Webber. He’s one of the best passing PFs I’ve ever seen. He averaged over 4 APG for his entire career and averaged over 5 APG twice in his career.

    5 – Kevin Garnett. Also one of the best passing PFs ever. He also averaged over 4 APG for his career, and even had a season averaging 6 APG!

    6 – Alvan Adams. He’s not a well known player, but he was one of the best passing centers ever. He averaged over 4 APG for his career, and in his rookie season averaged 5.6 APG!

    7 – Bill Walton. Would be higher on here if he had a longer career, but in his prime he was averaging 4–5 APG and was a very talented high IQ passer.

    8 – Wes Unseld. Known for his spectacular outlet passes, Unseld averaged almost 4 APG for his career but peaked at over 5 APG.

    9 – Draymond Green. You know you’re a great passing big men when you are a better passer than one of the greatest PGs of all time (Curry) who plays on your team. Draymond averages over 5 APG for his career, but at his peak he actually can give you 7–9 APG which is incredible

    10 – Giannis. Giannis is a fantastic passer out of the post. He averages over 4 APG for his career but peaks at closer to 6 APG.

    Honorable mentions: Charles Barkley, Dave Cowens, Blake Griffin, Sam Lacey, Brad Daughtery, Arvydas Sabonis, Vlade Divac