The Best Creators in the NBA
Most of the NBA's best offenses over the years share at least one thing in common: a superstar who can create open looks for himself and others.
In the past, these creators were typically traditional point guards whose first inclinations were to set the table for others. In today's NBA, the creators come in all sizes and often do as much for their teams by creating their own looks as they do in hooking up others.
To determine which players are the best in this regard in 2015-16, we'll look primarily at two numbers: points created by assists and percent of field goals made unassisted. To qualify for the list, a player has to generate at least 15 points per game off his assists and score over half his field goals without being assisted.
Kyle Lowry
1 of 10
Points Created by Assists: 15.4
Percent of Field Goals Made Unassisted: 62.2
By just about every catch-all metric, Kyle Lowry is having the best season of his NBA career at the ripe old age of 30. He's posting career highs in player efficiency rating, box plus/minus and value over replacement player.
His ability to create efficient scoring opportunities for both himself and his teammates has made Lowry one of the most valuable players in the league this season. So valuable, in fact, that FiveThirtyEight's Neil Paine wonders if the Toronto Raptors are legitimate title contenders.
Rajon Rondo
2 of 10
Points Created by Assists: 27.1
Percent of Field Goals Made Unassisted: 71.2
For all the talk of Rajon Rondo's demise, there's still something to be said for the way he's been setting the table for the Sacramento Kings this season.
Rondo's 27.1 points created by assists per game leads the NBA by a comfortable margin, and the Kings' best player certainly enjoys the easy looks he doesn't have to create for himself.
In December, DeMarcus Cousins talked to Marc J. Spears (then of Yahoo Sports) about Sacramento re-signing Rondo: "He ain’t going nowhere. I will kidnap him myself."
Damian Lillard
3 of 10
Points Created by Assists: 16.6
Percent of Field Goals Made Unassisted: 70.5
Damian Lillard isn't just creating for the Portland Trail Blazers; he's carrying them far beyond where anyone expected possible.
The over/under for the number of games the Blazers would win was a paltry 26.5 before the regular season started. In late February, John Canzano of the Oregonian pointed out that Lillard's largely responsible:
"Lillard is taking big shots. He wants the ball in his hands. Everyone on the opposing roster starts out gaming to stop him, and still, Lillard has been hanging up 30-point games like they were hats on hallway hooks. Everyone knows any debate about the best performance in an NBA season is an inexact science. It's an absurd task. One that must include Lillard's name if he keeps at it.
MVP?
Nope.
Top-10 MVP discussion?
Yup.
"
Coming into the season, no one expected the Blazers to be in the playoffs. Fast-forward to the present, and they have a chance at the No. 5 seed in the West. One of the best creators in the league will do that for you.
Ricky Rubio
4 of 10
Points Created by Assists: 19.1
Percent of Field Goals Made Unassisted: 55.7
Since he entered the NBA in 2011, Ricky Rubio has been of the league's most creative setup men.
His YouTube highlight reels are filled with passes that evoke memories of "Pistol" Pete Maravich, but until recently, that's where the comparison ended.
Since the All-Star break, Rubio is actually starting to create for himself a bit more and is even hitting some jump shots.
Up until the break, he was shooting 36.1 percent from the field, 29.2 percent from three and 82.6 percent from the free-throw line, all while averaging 9.7 points. Since then, his shooting splits are 43.7/38.3/91.2, with a scoring average of 12.5.
Chris Paul
5 of 10
Points Created by Assists: 23.3
Percent of Field Goals Made Unassisted: 83.7
Perhaps the NBA's quintessential creator for most of the last decade, Chris Paul continues to dazzle fans as The Little Engine That Could behind the Los Angeles Clippers offense.
Paul has led the NBA in assist percentage in six of the last nine seasons, including 2015-16. He's led in assists per game in four of the last nine. And his career average of 9.9 ranks third behind Magic Johnson and John Stockton.
Is it any wonder that LeBron James, another one of the league's top creators, told Bleacher Report's Howard Beck that he'd take a pay cut to play with CP3 (among other friends)?
LeBron James
6 of 10
Points Created by Assists: 16.6
Percent of Field Goals Made Unassisted: 60.6
Even as the league trends toward bigger playmakers like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Draymond Green, Nicolas Batum and others, LeBron James remains unique.
Among players who stand at least 6'8", James is the all-time leader in total seasons with an average of at least six assists.
| 1 | LeBron James | 2005 | 2016 | TOT | NBA | 12 |
| 2 | Magic Johnson* | 1980 | 1991 | LAL | NBA | 11 |
| 3 | Larry Bird* | 1984 | 1991 | BOS | NBA | 7 |
| 4 | Grant Hill | 1996 | 1999 | DET | NBA | 4 |
| 5 | Scottie Pippen* | 1991 | 1993 | CHI | NBA | 3 |
| 6 | Wilt Chamberlain* | 1967 | 1968 | PHI | NBA | 2 |
| 7 | Jalen Rose | 1996 | 2001 | TOT | NBA | 2 |
| 8 | Boris Diaw | 2006 | 2006 | PHO | NBA | 1 |
| 9 | Kevin Garnett | 2003 | 2003 | MIN | NBA | 1 |
| 10 | Stephen Jackson | 2009 | 2009 | GSW | NBA | 1 |
| 11 | Tracy McGrady | 2007 | 2007 | HOU | NBA | 1 |
| 12 | Detlef Schrempf | 1993 | 1993 | IND | NBA | 1 |
James has had to endure countless comparisons to Michael Jordan over the course of his career. But perhaps the more appropriate comparison is a super Magic Johnson.
John Wall
7 of 10
Points Created by Assists: 24.5
Percent of Field Goals Made Unassisted: 71.1
In an article for ESPN.com's Page 2, Hunter S. Thompson once wrote, "Speed kills, in the famous words of ultimate Raider Al Davis. You can't teach speed, he said. Everything else in the game can be taught, but speed is a gift from God."
Therein lies the key to John Wall's ability to create for others. And it's something he's well aware of. In an interview on The Dan Patrick Show, Wall was asked if he could beat Russell Westbrook in a 40-yard dash. His answer was simple: "I win."
Wall's speed is particularly impressive in the open court, where defenders are often helpless in trying to keep pace with him, even if he has to dribble a basketball.
James Harden
8 of 10
Points Created by Assists: 18
Percent of Field Goals Made Unassisted: 71.5
James Harden not only creates field goals for himself and others, but he's become perhaps the league's premier player in creating points for himself at the free-throw line.
Among players who qualify for the minutes leaderboard, Harden is second in the NBA in free-throw attempts per 36 minutes, behind only DeMarcus Cousins.
Grantland's Kirk Goldsberry wrote in 2014 about Harden's ability to get to the line:
"James Harden is one of the smartest on-court players in the NBA. Perhaps more than anyone else, he understands the rules of the game and has engineered an approach to scoring that takes full advantage of these rules. It may not always be pretty (although sometimes it is), but it is almost always productive. Between his Eurostep and his incredible ability to get fouled, Harden might be a referee’s nightmare, but he’s also one of the best scorers in the league.
Although many NBA fans are loath to admit it, drawing a foul, particularly a shooting foul, is a very efficient basketball play. Fouls not only threaten to disqualify opponents, they also beget points at very high rates.
"
Harden is shooting 86.6 percent on free throws this season, meaning he's scoring nearly two points per trip to the line. That's a significantly higher scoring rate than the 1.13 points per possession scored by the Golden State Warriors, who have the league's most efficient offense.
Russell Westbrook
9 of 10
Points Created by Assists: 23.5
Percent of Field Goals Made Unassisted: 79.2
Russell Westbrook has been an unhinged Tasmanian devil of productivity this season. He's posted a league-best 15 triple-doubles (the Oklahoma City Thunder are 15-0 in those games).
Furthermore, Westbrook has maintained that insane level of production throughout the season. He is averaging 24.7 points, 10.9 assists and eight rebounds per 36 minutes. He's the only player in NBA history to hit all those benchmarks in a single season. Not even Oscar Robertson or LeBron James can match him.
Stephen Curry
10 of 10
Points Created by Assists: 15.5
Percent of Field Goals Made Unassisted: 53
Stephen Curry is creating for himself and others in a way we've never seen before. The threat of a player who can consistently drill a 30-foot jump shot off the dribble is simply something NBA defenses have never dealt with.
That's why you often see two hapless defenders chasing Curry around when he's 5-10 feet beyond the three-point line—a phenomenon that creates four-on-three breaks for the Warriors in half-court sets.
ESPN's Ethan Sherwood Strauss wrote that Curry "can make world-class athletes look like lemmings, walking off a cliff," referring to those unfortunate souls who draw the assignment of trying to stay with the league's best player.
