Best Passers All-Time by Position

[Stringer Bell]

PG: Obviously any great point guard should be a good passer. Magic is the best I've seen. Great court awareness and vision. His height gave him an extra edge to see things that many PGs couldn't. He could thread the needle with bullet passes or throw nice touch passes.

John Stockton, Isiah Thomas, Steve Nash, and Jason Kidd were all great passers too.

SG: Michael Jordan was a hell of a passer. He had great vision and find open guys with quick passes.

I haven't seen all that much of Jerry West, but The Logo was known as a good passer, and accumulated excellent assist totals.

SF: Larry Bird and Lebron james are obvious choices.

PF: Always loved Chris Webber's passing skills. KG was a terrific passer, Karl Malone became one. Dennis Rodman was a very underrated passer.

C: A lot to choose from here.

Brad Daugherty
Bill Walton
Vlade Divac
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Arvydas Sabonis

Russell and Wilt were known as excellent passers. Russell's outlet passes helped start the fast breaks. Wilt even led the NBA in assists one year.

I am sure I am leaving out many good passers

[robert_shaww]

PG: Obviously any great point guard should be a good passer. Magic is the best I've seen. Great court awareness and vision. His height gave him an extra edge to see things that many PGs couldn't. He could thread the needle with bullet passes or throw nice touch passes.

John Stockton, Isiah Thomas, Steve Nash, and Jason Kidd were all great passers too.

SG: Michael Jordan was a hell of a passer. He had great vision and find open guys with quick passes.

I haven't seen all that much of Jerry West, but The Logo was known as a good passer, and accumulated excellent assist totals.

SF: Larry Bird and Lebron james are obvious choices.

PF: Always loved Chris Webber's passing skills. KG was a terrific passer, Karl Malone became one. Dennis Rodman was a very underrated passer.

C: A lot to choose from here.

Brad Daugherty
Bill Walton
Vlade Divac
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Arvydas Sabonis

Russell and Wilt were known as excellent passers. Russell's outlet passes helped start the fast breaks. Wilt even led the NBA in assists one year.

I am sure I am leaving out many good passers

Divac
Webber
Bird
Ginobili
Stockton

[L.Kizzle]

Drexler was a better passer than Jordan.

[Mass Debator]

Rubio
Ginobili
Bird
Gasol
Brad Miller

[Ass Dan]

Irving
Waiters
James
Love
Andy

[KobesFinger]

PG - Magic, Nash, Stockton, Kidd, CP3, Jayson Williams, Rubio, Rondo
SG - Ginobili, Jordan, Kobe, Wade
SF - Bird, LeBron, Pippen
PF - Webber, Garnett, P Gasol, Barkley
C - Walton, Divac, Shaq, M Gasol, Noah

I hear Wilt and Russell are too

[SouBeachTalents]

PG- Magic
SG- Drexler
SF- LeBron
PF- Webber
C- Russell

[Mass Debator]

Underrated mention: Lamar Odom

[dreamwarrior]

Stockton is the greatest passer I've ever seen and I'm a huge Magic fan. Magic made the most flashy and impossible passes, but Stockton was more consistent. Magic never came close to the APG numbers Stockton put up.

[GODbe]

PG: Magic
SG: Kobe

[played0ut]

PG: Magic
SG: Kobe

i bet godbe was a GOAT center and ballboy too

[DonDadda59]

PG: Magic/Stockton
SG: Jordan/Pistol Pete H.M. Ginobli/Drexler
SF: Bird
PF: Garnett
C: Chamberlain

[Psileas]

Stockton is the greatest passer I've ever seen and I'm a huge Magic fan. Magic made the most flashy and impossible passes, but Stockton was more consistent. Magic never came close to the APG numbers Stockton put up.

Magic did come close to Stockton's numbers plenty of times:

14.4 apg over his first 44 games in 1984
13.3 apg over his first 36 games in 1986
13.1 apg over his first 40 games in 1989
13.5 apg over his first 50 games in 1991

and I'm pretty sure he would have kept it up if it had been that important for him to get to certain numbers. Or, at least, had the Lakers been using Magic as the last passer before the shot as frequently as Utah did for Stockton.
Plus...2 postseasons at 15+ apg (including a title winning one) and another at 13+.

[Jlamb47]

PG - Magic/Stockton/Kidd/Nash/CP3
SG - Drexler/A.I/Jordan/Ginobli
SF - Bird/Pippen/Lebron
PF - KG/Webber/Malone
C - Gasol brothers

[Sakkreth]

PG - Magic/Stockton/Kidd/Nash/CP3
SG - Drexler/A.I/Jordan/Ginobli
SF - Bird/Pippen/Lebron
PF - KG/Webber/Malone
C - Gasol brothers

Lol at Gasols selection, thye are good yeah, but how can you pick em above someone like Sabonis ?

[tmacattack33]

Fukk outta here with that Jordan BS.

[FKAri]

lol @ Ko-Me being on anyone's list :roll:

[Jlamb47]

Lol at Gasols selection, thye are good yeah, but how can you pick em above someone like Sabonis ?

Never watched him too much

[SHAQisGOAT]

1st Team

PG: Magic
SG: West
SF: Bird
PF: Webber
C: Walton


2nd Team

PG: Stockton
SG: Maravich
SF: LeBron
PF: Garnett
C: Wilt


HM's:

PG: Oscar, Cousy, Nash, CP3, Kidd, Isiah.......
SG: Ginobili, Drexler, Jordan, Wade, Reggie Theus, Kobe.....
SF: Barry, Hill, Pippen, T-Mac, Pressey, Baylor, Hondo, Marques, Erving.....
PF: Gasol, Cunningham, Barkley, Lucas, Malone, Mason, Odom, Schrempf, Diaw......
C: Sabonis, Russell, Sam Lacey, Daugherty, Alvan Adams, Divac, Kareem, Cowens, Unseld....

[MP.Trey]

1st Team

PG: Magic
SG: West
SF: Bird
PF: Webber
C: Walton


2nd Team

PG: Stockton
SG: Maravich
SF: LeBron
PF: Garnett
C: Wilt


HM's:

PG: Oscar, Cousy, Nash, CP3, Kidd, Isiah.......
SG: Ginobili, Drexler, Jordan, Wade, Reggie Theus, Kobe.....
SF: Barry, Hill, Pippen, T-Mac, Pressey, Baylor, Hondo, Marques, Erving.....
PF: Gasol, Cunningham, Barkley, Lucas, Malone, Mason, Odom, Schrempf, Diaw......
C: Sabonis, Russell, Sam Lacey, Daugherty, Alvan Adams, Divac, Kareem, Cowens, Unseld....

Can't believe it took this long for a Wes Unseld mention. Very good list/post. :applause:

[Nowitness]

So many great passing big men. KG, Walton, Sabonis, Russell, Duncan, Chuck Wilt. :bowdown:

[BuffaloBill]

Michael Carter William

[robert_shaww]

Can't believe it took this long for a Wes Unseld mention. Very good list/post. :applause:

was barkley a great passer??

[Im so nba'd out]

PG:Nash
SG:Jordan
SF:LeBron
PF: ???
C:Shaq

[played0ut]

1st Team

PG: Magic
SG: West
SF: Bird
PF: Webber
C: Walton


2nd Team

PG: Stockton
SG: Maravich
SF: LeBron
PF: Garnett
C: Wilt


HM's:

PG: Oscar, Cousy, Nash, CP3, Kidd, Isiah.......
SG: Ginobili, Drexler, Jordan, Wade, Reggie Theus, Kobe.....
SF: Barry, Hill, Pippen, T-Mac, Pressey, Baylor, Hondo, Marques, Erving.....
PF: Gasol, Cunningham, Barkley, Lucas, Malone, Mason, Odom, Schrempf, Diaw......
C: Sabonis, Russell, Sam Lacey, Daugherty, Alvan Adams, Divac, Kareem, Cowens, Unseld....



:applause: :applause:

[LAZERUSS]

Chamberlain averaged 5.2 apg in '66, all while scoring 33.5 ppg, pulling down 24.6 rpg, and shooting .540 from the floor.

In '67, he averaged 7.8 apg, 24.1 ppg, 24.2 rpg, and shot .683 from the field.

In the '67 post-season, Wilt averaged 21.7 ppg, 29.1 rpg, shot .579 from the field, and averaged 9.0 apg. BTW, he had two straight post-season series in which he averaged 28-27-11-.617, and 22-32-10-.556.

In '68 he led the NBA in assists, and averaged 8.6 apg. And he did so while scoring 24.3 ppg, grabbing 23.8 rpg, and shooting .595 from the field.

And how about his last 12 games that year...

1. 31-21-15 on 12-20 FG/FGA
2. 22-19-13 on 8-14 FG/FGA
3. 38-28-9 on 16-21 FG/FGA
4. 13-24-10 on 5-10 FG/FGA
5. 28-27-10 on 11-15 FG/FGA
6. 22-30-12 on 9-12 FG/FGA
7. 16-20-10 on 7-10 FG/FGA
8. 25-21-13 on 11-15 FG/FGA
9. 35-15-10 on 16-18 FG/FGA
10. 53-32-14 on 24-29 FG/FGA
11. 22-27-19 on 10-22 FG/FGA
12. 26-17-12 on 11-? FG/FGA

An NBA record NINE straight triple-doubles, and he was ONE assist away from 12 straight.

Overall,...

27.6 ppg, 23.4 rpg, 12.3 apg, and on a .694 FG% (missing one game.)

BTW, Chamberlain also posted a 22-25-21 game on 9-13 FG/FGA...the only 20-20-20 game in NBA history.

[Yao Ming's Foot]

lol @ Ko-Me being on anyone's list :roll:

Likely going to have the most assists of all time from a non point guard by the end of the season. :confusedshrug:

Facts vs hater myths

[DonDadda59]

Anyone mention Bill Walton yet? :confusedshrug:

[played0ut]

^

yeh .

[no pun intended]

1st Team

PG: Magic
SG: West
SF: Bird
PF: Webber
C: Walton


2nd Team

PG: Stockton
SG: Maravich
SF: LeBron
PF: Garnett
C: Wilt


HM's:

PG: Oscar, Cousy, Nash, CP3, Kidd, Isiah.......
SG: Ginobili, Drexler, Jordan, Wade, Reggie Theus, Kobe.....
SF: Barry, Hill, Pippen, T-Mac, Pressey, Baylor, Hondo, Marques, Erving.....
PF: Gasol, Cunningham, Barkley, Lucas, Malone, Mason, Odom, Schrempf, Diaw......
C: Sabonis, Russell, Sam Lacey, Daugherty, Alvan Adams, Divac, Kareem, Cowens, Unseld....

Couldn't agree more.

[Aussie Dunker]

When I think big men passing skills, I think of the outlet pass being by far the most important aspect (in my humble opinion)

This is why I think Duncan is heavily underrated as a passer - he has some of the best outlet passing skills I have ever seen, and has been doing it for 15 or so years...

Love is another one who still early in his career could end up as being one of the best passing bigs purely because of his sensational outlet passing skills.

Griff on the other hand, has phenomenal hands / control, and is a little more flashy than the two just mentioned. His awareness with those little lob passes to Deandre are beautiful...

[LAZERUSS]

BTW, Chamberlain's rebounding and outlet passes contributed heavily to his '67 Sixers easily leading the league in scoring, and his '72 Lakers, with a relatively old lineup, running the league to death.

[Champ]

Only one mention of Pistol Pete?

:facepalm

PG - Magic
SG - Maravich
SF - Bird
PF - Webber
C - Walton

[pudman13]

First team:

PG: Stockton
SG: Maravich
SF: Bird
PF: Duncan
C: Walton

Second team:

PG: Magic
SG: Jordan
SF: Lebron
PF: Webber (I'm basing this more on reputation than my own memory of him)
C: Unseld

[Sakkreth]

PG. Magic
SG. Pistol Pete
SF. LeBron/Bird
PF. Webber
C. Sabonis

Sg is the weakest position for passers, because if you are guard and u can pass the ball extremely well you will end up playing pg most of the time.

[HomieWeMajor]

Chamberlain averaged 5.2 apg in '66, all while scoring 33.5 ppg, pulling down 24.6 rpg, and shooting .540 from the floor.

In '67, he averaged 7.8 apg, 24.1 ppg, 24.2 rpg, and shot .683 from the field.

In the '67 post-season, Wilt averaged 21.7 ppg, 29.1 rpg, shot .579 from the field, and averaged 9.0 apg. BTW, he had two straight post-season series in which he averaged 28-27-11-.617, and 22-32-10-.556.

In '68 he led the NBA in assists, and averaged 8.6 apg. And he did so while scoring 24.3 ppg, grabbing 23.8 rpg, and shooting .595 from the field.

And how about his last 12 games that year...

1. 31-21-15 on 12-20 FG/FGA
2. 22-19-13 on 8-14 FG/FGA
3. 38-28-9 on 16-21 FG/FGA
4. 13-24-10 on 5-10 FG/FGA
5. 28-27-10 on 11-15 FG/FGA
6. 22-30-12 on 9-12 FG/FGA
7. 16-20-10 on 7-10 FG/FGA
8. 25-21-13 on 11-15 FG/FGA
9. 35-15-10 on 16-18 FG/FGA
10. 53-32-14 on 24-29 FG/FGA
11. 22-27-19 on 10-22 FG/FGA
12. 26-17-12 on 11-? FG/FGA

An NBA record NINE straight triple-doubles, and he was ONE assist away from 12 straight.

Overall,...

27.6 ppg, 23.4 rpg, 12.3 apg, and on a .694 FG% (missing one game.)

BTW, Chamberlain also posted a 22-25-21 game on 9-13 FG/FGA...the only 20-20-20 game in NBA history.
It was well known that Wilt stat padded to get his assists

[fragokota]

Magic
SG (weakest passing position by far)
Bird
Webber
Sabonis

[AintNoSunshine]

Nash
Kidd
Penny
Bron
Magic

[NustABut]

I wouldn't put T-Mac on my list as best all time, but that guy was a hell of a passer at his position. :rockon:

[L.Kizzle]

Lol at shooting guard being week

Hal Greer
West
Pearl Monroe
Dave Bing
Pistol Pete
Charlie Scott
World B Free
Norm Nixon
Theus
Drexler
Jordan
Jalen Rose
Eddie Jones
Iverson
Kobe
TMac
Manu
Joe Johnson
Wade

[pauk]

PG- Magic Johnson or Jason Kidd
SG- Pete Maravich or Penny Hardaway
SF- Lebron James or Larry Bird
PF- Chris Webber or Kevin Garnett
C- Bill Walton or Vlade Divac

[JohnFreeman]

Webber was a sick passer

[Rocketswin2013]

Actually saying Jordan was the GOAT passing SG...:facepalm


Manu was easily better and i don't even like him.

[KOBE143]

Magic
Kobe
Pippen
Webber
KAJ

[Hamtaro CP3KDKG]

Only PG and C are arguable
SG-PF is easily
Manu
Bird
KG

[SHAQisGOAT]

Chamberlain averaged 5.2 apg in '66, all while scoring 33.5 ppg, pulling down 24.6 rpg, and shooting .540 from the floor.

In '67, he averaged 7.8 apg, 24.1 ppg, 24.2 rpg, and shot .683 from the field.

In the '67 post-season, Wilt averaged 21.7 ppg, 29.1 rpg, shot .579 from the field, and averaged 9.0 apg. BTW, he had two straight post-season series in which he averaged 28-27-11-.617, and 22-32-10-.556.

In '68 he led the NBA in assists, and averaged 8.6 apg. And he did so while scoring 24.3 ppg, grabbing 23.8 rpg, and shooting .595 from the field.

And how about his last 12 games that year...

1. 31-21-15 on 12-20 FG/FGA
2. 22-19-13 on 8-14 FG/FGA
3. 38-28-9 on 16-21 FG/FGA
4. 13-24-10 on 5-10 FG/FGA
5. 28-27-10 on 11-15 FG/FGA
6. 22-30-12 on 9-12 FG/FGA
7. 16-20-10 on 7-10 FG/FGA
8. 25-21-13 on 11-15 FG/FGA
9. 35-15-10 on 16-18 FG/FGA
10. 53-32-14 on 24-29 FG/FGA
11. 22-27-19 on 10-22 FG/FGA
12. 26-17-12 on 11-? FG/FGA

An NBA record NINE straight triple-doubles, and he was ONE assist away from 12 straight.

Overall,...

27.6 ppg, 23.4 rpg, 12.3 apg, and on a .694 FG% (missing one game.)

BTW, Chamberlain also posted a 22-25-21 game on 9-13 FG/FGA...the only 20-20-20 game in NBA history.

Thread about best all-time passers by position, just goes on posting a big essay about Wilt :rolleyes:
(always with the same bullshit focusing on nothing but stats, then claiming he's been around watching the game forever :lol)
You're just a big joke by now :facepalm



Lol at shooting guard being week

Hal Greer
West
Pearl Monroe
Dave Bing
Pistol Pete
Charlie Scott
World B Free
Norm Nixon
Theus
Drexler
Jordan
Jalen Rose
Eddie Jones
Iverson
Kobe
TMac
Manu
Joe Johnson
Wade

True, some great passers there (Bing and Nixon were PG's though, or more of)...
You can add Ainge,Gooddrich (if you'd call him a SG), Dumars, Randy Smith, Moncrief, Westphal, DJ (before he became a full-time PG), Richmond...

People forget about Micheal Ray too, combo guard who was a really good passer (amongst other things).

[LAZERUSS]

It was well known that Wilt stat padded to get his assists

Yep.

He even selfishly made it a goal before the start of the '68 season that he wanted to lead the league in assists.

Bill Simmons has ripped Chamberlain for that motivation, as well.

Of course, who would have known that the dissension that Wilt caused by this would propel his team to the best record in the league (a runaway best record BTW)?

Or that, by passing so much, that his team would be decimated by injuries in the post-season, which ultimately cost them a seven game series against the Celtics in the EDF's?

Just another example of a "selfish" Wilt.

[Harison]

PG: Stockton
SG: West
SF: Bird
PF: Garnett
C: Sabonis

[stalkerforlife]

PG - Jason Williams
SG -Kobe
SF - Bird
PF - Webber
C - Walton

[VIntageNOvel]

PG: Obviously any great point guard should be a good passer. Magic is the best I've seen. Great court awareness and vision. His height gave him an extra edge to see things that many PGs couldn't. He could thread the needle with bullet passes or throw nice touch passes.

John Stockton, Isiah Thomas, Steve Nash, and Jason Kidd were all great passers too.

SG: Michael Jordan was a hell of a passer. He had great vision and find open guys with quick passes.

I haven't seen all that much of Jerry West, but The Logo was known as a good passer, and accumulated excellent assist totals.

SF: Larry Bird and Boris Diaw are obvious choices.

PF: Always loved Chris Webber's passing skills. KG was a terrific passer, Karl Malone became one. Dennis Rodman was a very underrated passer.

C: A lot to choose from here.



Fixed

[dubeta]

Likely going to have the most assists of all time from a non point guard by the end of the season. :confusedshrug:

Facts vs hater myths


Also has the most missed shots so it cancels out

[Young X]

Garnett >>>

[Ray22]

Magic
Maravich
Bird
Barkley
Sabonis

[oarabbus]

Magic
Ginobili (easily best SG passer. Jordan? lol no)
Bird. Lebron is very close, but oh man Bird was raw.
Webber
Sabonis

[Hamtaro CP3KDKG]

Magic
Ginobili (easily best SG passer. Jordan? lol no)
Bird. Lebron is very close, but oh man Bird was raw.
Webber
Sabonis
LOL @ Lebron being very close. Hes very close to Baylor not close to the level of Bird

[RoundMoundOfReb]

Magic
Manu?
Bird
Webber
Walton

[bizil]

Great topic! The assists numbers for these guys by position could be similar. So it HAS to come down to imagination and truly seeing a play before it happens. It gets tough in particular for guards because they are AFTER ALL guards! Up front, I think it's more clear:

Pg- Magic
Sg- Pete
SF- Bron (I like Bron's PG handle and pace over Bird even though I wouldn't argue Bird at all. Also don't sleep on Barry, Hondo, Pippen, and Grant Hill)
PF- Webber
C- Walton

[wally_world]

PG: Steve Nash
Slightly biased, but i dont believe in looking at pure assist numbers or who makes the fanciest passes. Nash makes his teammates better than anyone else in NBA history. Nash delivers the most precise pin point passes for his teammates to finish. That to me is the ultimate passer. I'll also take Kidd/Stockton at #2 before Magic.

SG: Pete Maravich
His level of creativity is off the charts at that time. Crazy good at lead passes and putting the ball in his teammate's hands to score too.

SF: Larry Bird
No one else is close. LeBron is a great playmaker for his ability to get to the rim and collapsing defenses. But Bird trumps him as a passer.

PF: Chris Webber
Again, I picked CWebb for his passing precision, rather than just the ability to rack up assists, which is why I picked him over KG.

C: Arvydas Sabonis
Close between Sabas and Divac. I think Sabas had the advantage of being a better scorer and commanding more attention. But this can go either way. HM to Joakim Noah.
*edit - I forgot Bill Walton - he was brilliant too

[Yao Ming's Foot]

Also has the most missed shots so it cancels out

What does missing shots have to do with being a great passer? :facepalm

[bizil]

1st Team

PG: Magic
SG: West
SF: Bird
PF: Webber
C: Walton


2nd Team

PG: Stockton
SG: Maravich
SF: LeBron
PF: Garnett
C: Wilt


HM's:

PG: Oscar, Cousy, Nash, CP3, Kidd, Isiah.......
SG: Ginobili, Drexler, Jordan, Wade, Reggie Theus, Kobe.....
SF: Barry, Hill, Pippen, T-Mac, Pressey, Baylor, Hondo, Marques, Erving.....
PF: Gasol, Cunningham, Barkley, Lucas, Malone, Mason, Odom, Schrempf, Diaw......
C: Sabonis, Russell, Sam Lacey, Daugherty, Alvan Adams, Divac, Kareem, Cowens, Unseld....


Great list! I also like that Reggie Theus mention! He's for sure one of the most underrated players of all time. A 6'7 combo guard who was a great scorer and passer in one. When they mention big PG's they of course say Big O, Magic, Steve Smith, and Penny. But Theus' name doesn't get mentioned. He put up the numbers to be mentioned in that group. Size wise, he was more in that Penny Hardaway and Steve Smith realm. Over time, he settled more into an SG as you mentioned. And game wise, I think he was sort of a mix between the two. Theus was known to drop 20 points and 9 dimes in seasons. And his career line of over 19,015 points and 6,453 assists, 18.5 PPG and 6.3 APG are actually close to HOF kind of numbers.

[SHAQisGOAT]

Great list! I also like that Reggie Theus mention! He's for sure one of the most underrated players of all time. A 6'7 combo guard who was a great scorer and passer in one. When they mention big PG's they of course say Big O, Magic, Steve Smith, and Penny. But Theus' name doesn't get mentioned. He put up the numbers to be mentioned in that group. Size wise, he was more in that Penny Hardaway and Steve Smith realm. Over time, he settled more into an SG as you mentioned. And game wise, I think he was sort of a mix between the two. Theus was known to drop 20 points and 9 dimes in seasons. And his career line of over 19,015 points and 6,453 assists, 18.5 PPG and 6.3 APG are actually close to HOF kind of numbers.


Yes, Theus gets really overlooked, like many other really good players from the 80s who weren't superstar level.

I love to watch Reggie play, dude was a baller with a really flashy game...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh2HuJu16KA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS1GJ5wxyTc&t=0m34s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx4PxY2KQ2Y

[Leroy Jetson]

Considering Stockton has all time most assists, most assist per game for a season 14.5, most seasons leading assists, I'm gonna have to go with him.

[imnew09]

Kobe when he plays PG

[Brizzly]

PG: Steve Nash
SG: Manu
SF: Bird
PG: Pau Gasol
C: MArc Gasol

[robert_shaww]

In my opinion Ginobili is the greatest passer of all time.

[finchyyy]

PG: Magic
SG: Manu
SF: LeBron
PF: Bird
C: Walton

[Soundwave]

PG - Magic
SG - Maravich
SF - Bird
PF - Webber
C - Sabonis