tsherkin wrote:ShotCreator wrote:This just isn't how basketball works. Psychologically or technically from a skill standpoint. 13 assists is an indicator of something significant. Objectively. It's not a regular level of playmaking.
You have to be a really good anticipatory passer to get that level of assisting. This is essentially implying Bird coincidentally got assists on these 'weak' passes. The thought process is just asinine IMO.
People tend to miss the plot when they try to dissect the game like this.
This isn't entirely correct. There have been a bunch of guys no one would confuse for truly gifted playmakers who have been double-digit assist guys. The less you shoot, the more you work with shooters inside a structured offense, the more it's possible. Especially in a more up-tempo environment.
Gifted is subjective. Valuable is objective. And with that feasibility is objective. It is not easy to get double digit assists in the NBA. At all. In any scheme or setup. And it's valuable virtually every time it's done.
But a thread like this would make you think Trevor Ariza could've made these same plays. It just does not work like that.
Edit: And I want to say specifically, a far as this game breakdown, I resent the idea of entry passes being easy at all. That is a real skill.
Ask anyone watching the 2014-15 Finals, and LeBron not getting entry pass after entry pass from any player. Dellavedova was the only one who could get them sometimes. I would bet anything Kevin Love was the second-best best entry passer on the team and he's a big himself.
