Some beautiful things often get overlooked. If you explain it in NBA terms, the efforts of point guards aren’t celebrated as they should be. With the likes of Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, and LeBron James‘ offensive brilliance often never falls on the assists. But there’s no denying that assists play an important role in this team sport. And there are a few uncrowned heroes from the past who played their part in perfection. Veteran guard Chris Paul is also one among them.

Before we shed some light on Point God’s upcoming major milestone, let’s get one important question out of the way. Who has the most assists in NBA history? It’s none other than John Stockton, the unacknowledged sovereign from the 20th century. The legendary point guard played all 19 seasons with the Utah Jazz alongside Karl Malone. The 6 ‘1 tall dished out a staggering 15, 806 assists and stands on top of the ladder, way out of reach from his competitors.

In the course of his career (1984-2003), Stockton became the ‘perfect point guard’. Weighing 175 lbs, the legend never really had an athletic physique compared to his teammates, especially Karl Malone. Intead, he compensated it with his basketball IQ. The Washington native always was in the right spot and making the right pass.

Stockwas known for his insane peripheral vision and the control over his passes. The 10x All-Star also ability to locate the tiniest window and throw in a dime, which ultimately led to a career assists average of 10.1 assists per game. Moreover, Stock also holds the record for most assists single season with 1164 assists in the 1990-91 season. Above all, while Stockton receives appreciation for his passing abilities, the star’s offensive skills and steals are also overlooked. Notably, he leads the league on steals as well with 3,265 steals.

How far is Chris Paul behind Stockton with his upcoming milestone?

Chris Paul, the veteran point guard, can also be compared to John Stockton without offending any fandom. Most probably. The 6 ‘0 tall guard almost accurately possesses the same ability as Stockton. With a career average of 9.4 assists per game, CP3 is only inches closer to taking over the second spot in the All-Time assists leaderboard.

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Chris Paul is 194 assists behind the Dallas Mavericks legend, Jason Kidd, to reach closer to Stockholm. Kidd, before taking over the coaching job for the Mavs, was known as the energetic point guard, who often took the game away from his opponents. Speaking of his talent, Mavs’ strength and conditioning coach Greg King said, “He seemed limitless with energy, and his knowledge of the game wasn’t learned, it was his DNA… give Jason the ball and get out of the way and keep your eyes open because you never knew when he would feed it to you, or where it was coming from.” 

On the other hand, CP3 has emerged as the worthy opponent to surpass the Mavs’ great. Especially, Jason Kidd himself acknowledged this moment at the late end of the 2023-24 season. Kidd said, “There’s no better person to pass it… He’s had an incredible Hall of Fame career… When you talk about the point guard position, he’s the blueprint of success. He’s going to go down as one of the best to run a team… He’s a competitive guy, he has a big heart, loves the competition.” 

Moreover, Steve Kerr, who coached Chris Paul in the last season for the Golden State Warriors also showed concern about the dying breed of pass-first point guards. He added, “There just aren’t many guys like him anymore,.. Chris has been at the top of his craft for a long time.” Ironically, this came from Steve Kerr, who had a tough time dealing with Stockton. Especially during the Chicago Bulls‘ back-to-back Finals against the Jazz. The 9x NBA Champ even jokingly called Stockton, a “dirty ba**ard,” years after his retirement.

What does Chris Paul’s future look like?

Heading into the deep end of the career, Chris Paul couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity. In the 2024 off-season, the San Antonio Spurs signed a one-year deal with the veteran point guard. In the last season, the NBA world witnessed a glimpse of Victor Wembanyama‘s generational talent on display and he even won the ROYT award.

However, the Spurs missed a strong support cast as it lacked experience. Now, with the entry of CP3 into the roster, the team not only roped in an experienced player but also a thriving leader. Moreover, the star guard can also fast-track his way to surpass Jason Kidd. It wouldn’t be so long before the NBA world witnesses Paul’s picture-perfect lob pass to Wemby.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.