NBA Draft 2011: Diante Garrett and 10 Best Passers in the Draft

According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of assist is: to give usually supplementary support or aid to.

Assists are a critical issue in terms of development to an offense. In order to have a successful offensive system, players on the team must be able to pass and rotate the basketball.

Iowa State's Diante Garrett is a great assist man who has off-the-dribble skills that help him get his teammates involved. Only knock on Garrett is that he is coming in at only 181 pounds, Garrett needs to gain weight if he is to succeed taking the punishment at the next level.

If Garrett can fall into the right team, he will provide hard nosed play with his ability to attack the basket. With a national ranking of 11 in assists, expect for his skills to translate well this fall.

This slideshow will reveal some of the most clever passers in this years NBA Draft.

Chandler Parsons- Florida

Yes, I decided to not put a guard in this spot and show some love to another position.

The 2011 SEC Player of the Year was a key component to a Gator tournament championship last season leading the team in assists.

But what does he bring to a team?

Chandler Parsons is a great assist forward who has the athletic skills to draw a lot of attention offensively on the court. During the 2010-2011 season, Parsons averaged 3.8 assists per game en route to an Elite Eight apperance. 

If Oklahoma City picks him up at No. 24, expect for an increase in offensive production for Kevin Durant and company.

Brandon Knight- Kentucky

Knight seems to be following John Calipari's one and done trend.

After leading the Wildcats to a Final Four berth in 2011, Knight looks to use his talents helping a team move the ball around more.

If you look at the tape, Knight’s assist skills were uncanny for a freshman. During SEC regular season play, Knight averaged 4.2 assists per game helping the likes of forward Terrance Jones achieve a point average of 15.7 points per game.

Only knock is that he must work on his turnovers, but with him being so young, it will mostly be a coming of age type of issue.

"I was a scorer in high school," Knight said to USA Today , "My team looked for me to score. If I didn't score, we weren't going to win. So that's a change I have to make but I'm going to make, and I think I'm doing an all right job trying to adjust, but I've got to get better at it."

Expect big numbers in the assist category for this lottery pick player.

Kemba Walker- UConn

In the first two years of his UConn campaign, Walker showed a habit of dishing the ball quickly to his teammates for offensive production diminishing his numbers.

Then came the drastic improvement.

Walker then adapted into his role and led the Huskies to a National Championship averaging 4.5 assists per game.

Arguably one of the fastest players in college basketball, Walker possesses terrific quickness and ball-handling ability to give defenses fits.

With his speed being highly effective slashing the lane, look for Walker to obtain a lot of assists in the NBA drawing attention to defenders in the paint.

Nolan Smith- Duke

One of the most explosive point guards in the ACC makes this list. Once Kyle Singler began to lose his touch, Smith took over the duties and led the Blue Devils to an ACC tournament championship.

No, he is not as talented as Kyrie Irving, but he gets the job done.  Remember, Smith finished with ACC Player of the Year honors averaging 5.1 assists per game.

Josh Shelby- Kansas

We understand that this frseshman shouldn't make the list due to limited minute play, but sometimes the talent speaks for itself.

During his quick career for Kansas, Josh Shelby only averaged 2.4 assists per game playing behind Tyshawn Taylor. But I couldn't resist the temptation of putting him on this list due athleticism and upside.

Seems as if I'm not the only one who agrees.

Carmelo Anthony has come out today publicly agreeing that the Knicks should pick up the combo guard.

Kyrie Irving- Duke

I understand that he didn't play an entire season due to injury, but his skills can't be ignored as he enters the NBA draft looking to be picked No. 1 overall.

In just 11 games at Duke, Irving averaged 4.3 assists per game. That’s not bad.

Now if you are not convinced, one must understand that he was doing the same thing in high school too. According to Rivals.com, Irving averaged 4.8 assists per game as only a sophomore.

With all of the attention focused on his offensive presence, look for Irving's teammates to put up steady numbers offensively this fall.

Darius Morris- Michigan

The Fab Five would be proud.

Darius Morris (6'4'', 190 pounds) finished fifth in the NCAA category for assists last year averaging 6.7 assists per game. Thanks to his great handling ability, Morris is able to move around the court finding loopholes in the defense.

This can be attributed to his great vision surveying the floor catching his teammates in open looks.

Currently Morris is projected as a first-round draft pick and personally, I enjoy his style of play, it's quite refreshing.

Aaron Johnson- UAB

Aaron Johnson will leave UAB as all-time assists leader. Being known for his incredible background story, Johnson shows maturity to lead a team.

Former record holder Steve Mitchell said this to al.com about Johnson’s pursuit of breaking UAB’s record.

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"I started to believe like two years ago that he's got a shot (at the assist record)," Mitchell said. "I didn't realize he was so conscious about it until after last season ended and we were having a conversation," said Mitchell, who is one of three former UAB players who have had their number retired. "I'm coming after that record, man, I only need 175." Johnson said. "I had to go look it up and when I saw his numbers were right I knew he was serious."

"

Johnson then from that point on led the nation in assists at 7.7 per game breaking the record on February 14th.

Though Mitchell will have a hard time being drafted, look for him to contribute effectively off the bench.

Tyshawn Taylor- Kansas

Coming in at 6'3", 185 pounds, Tyshawn Taylor was an initial key to the Kansas offense.

Averaging 6.4 assists per game, Taylor led the Jayhawks to a 2010 Big XII championship and earned a No. 1 seed in the Southwest Region.

Expected to go second round, Taylor will provide good bench minutes for a team that needs guard play who can attack the lane resting starters.

Hmmm...Doesn't these seem familiar?

This is sort of like a Kyrie Irving/Nolan Smith type of situation. Both sets of these players made the list, but it's hard to get them on the court at the same time.

Demetri McCamey- Illinois

Demetri McCamey (6'3'', 200 pounds) has a lot of growth in terms of maturity off the court. During the 2010-2011 season, Head Coach Bruce Weber called him out for a lack of effort leading the team.

Yes, having to be called out by a coach shows a sign of immaturity, but his talent is obviously there.

According to NBA Draft Express, McCamey is comfortable with a longer range shot which opens the floor for penetration for him and his teammates. This explains the 7.1 assists per game average.

If he can stay away from off the court distractions, look for him to attack the court in the NBA giving teammates great looks on offense.

For more 2011 NBA draft coverage, stay tuned to Bleacher Report for updated NBA mock drafts, B/R's Big Board of Recruits, NBA draft rumors, NBA draft results and draft grades.