It’s still early in the NBA season, but the proverbial cream is starting to quickly rise to the top. This has never been more clearly evidenced than by the list of top assist pairs in the league so far. In terms of most assists from one player to another, Jokic appears four different times in the top nine.
Jokic assisting Aaron Gordon is the fourth most prolific tandem in the league, Jokic to Christian Braun is fifth, Jamal Murray to Jokic is eighth, and Jokic to Murray is ninth. Jokic’s teammate, Murray, is the only other player to appear more than once on the list, and no other team has more than one combo in the top 11.
This stat just shows the overall brilliance of Jokic. To appear on this list as part of four different combinations is just crazy. Doing it as a passer and scorer is next level. It’s impressive enough that the Jokic/Murray tandem appears with both iterations, but Jokic appearing twice above that while assisting two different players almost defies logic.
It magnifies how incredible Jokic’s passing has been and highlights just how well he spreads it around. His favorite player to pass to is whoever’s open. Murray, Gordon, and Braun have each been playing with the Joker for years, and they know that if they get open, he will find them.
Jokic setting teammates up for easy baskets
Those are three good players, but it’s not like Jokic is handing it off to superstars who are creating buckets. Jokic is setting things up, anticipating the defense’s every move, and using his incredible vision to create easy looks for whoever is on the floor with him.
It’s no surprise or coincidence that three of Jokic’s fellow starters appear on this list with him, and if Cam Johnson can find his rhythm in this offense, he’ll likely climb his way up this list as well.
Who can say if this will continue all year or not? It seems unlikely that one player can dominate a list like this so thoroughly, but with Jokic, it doesn’t seem out of the question at all. He’s leading the league in assists by a solid margin, and his potential assist numbers are even more impressive.
There’s no reason to believe that he’ll slow down or stop finding his teammates for easy looks at a high level. If anything, it stands to reason his teammates will shoot more efficiently, and these numbers could get even more outrageous.