These stats are crazy insane and Magic Johnson has forever crowned himself as the ultimate provider of assists. But some factors have to be taken into account when looking at these numbers.
(1) The game was played differently then. The greatest weapon of a team was the center play in the low post. It helps if the guy playing with you was the greatest scorer of all time for 40 (or more?) years. Not all assists come from Kareem but I guess a great deal came from center/ pick&roll play.
(2) The PG used to be the smallest/ fastest guy on the court. Magic had his height, he was the first big PG. Which in a way introduced the possibility of a point forward. Which gave him an edge on the opponents. Meaning he was lucky he was the right guy at the right time.
(3) Through the years the game changed. From post play to small range to big range. The 3p has become the strongest weapon (after a small James Harden stint which made the FT strong). This made the assist a stat that’s gotten rarer. While the PG position still exists most teams have a point forward now. A star player that can create his own shot and gets the most FGA in a game.
I think this number will last at the top of this list. Magic was a unicorn at his time and took his opportunity. The 3p shot is here to stay and teams have gotten more single player oriented. Bottom line Magic was truly fucking good.
These stats are crazy insane and Magic Johnson has forever crowned himself as the ultimate provider of assists. But some factors have to be taken into account when looking at these numbers. (1) The game was played differently then. The greatest weapon of a team was the center play in the low post. It helps if the guy playing with you was the greatest scorer of all time for 40 (or more?) years. Not all assists come from Kareem but I guess a great deal came from center/ pick&roll play.
(2) The PG used to be the smallest/ fastest guy on the court. Magic had his height, he was the first big PG. Which in a way introduced the possibility of a point forward. Which gave him an edge on the opponents. Meaning he was lucky he was the right guy at the right time.
(3) Through the years the game changed. From post play to small range to big range. The 3p has become the strongest weapon (after a small James Harden stint which made the FT strong). This made the assist a stat that’s gotten rarer. While the PG position still exists most teams have a point forward now. A star player that can create his own shot and gets the most FGA in a game.
I think this number will last at the top of this list. Magic was a unicorn at his time and took his opportunity. The 3p shot is here to stay and teams have gotten more single player oriented. Bottom line Magic was truly fucking good.