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Projecting The OKC Thunder's Assist Leaders Next Season

With added talent and an off-season of improvement, Oklahoma City should be able to score with a lot more efficiency this season.

For Thunder fans that were locked in nightly last year, it was easy to question just how many more assists Josh Giddey would total if his teammates could’ve finished the play.

Now, with added shooting on the perimeter and talent down low, there will be plenty of dimes to go around for this Thunder team. Oklahoma City has a variety of different players that have grown to be willing passers and should flourish with more playmaking skills on the floor.

Oklahoma City’s offense is expected to run through Giddey, as the young Australian gained a reputation for being quite the distributor last season. Because he struggled to shoot from long distance, his passing is even more valuable as it’s the best aspect of his game. Weaving off of high-ball screens and finding Chet Holmgren on the roll or on the pop will do wonders for Giddey’s assist numbers. It’s a lot to ask of a second-year guard to reach double-digit assist averages, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets close.

Outside of Giddey, though, the Thunder have many other capable passers. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has grown in that department of his game every season in Oklahoma City, reaching 5.9 assists per game last season. He was also near the top of the NBA in double teams drawn and could have more space to work with this season. With more freedom and fluidity on the offensive end, SGA will benefit as a distributor too.

Both Tre Mann and Jalen Williams will be tasked with creating offense off the bench. Mann is seen as a microwave scorer, but displayed terrific passing instincts on multiple occasions last season. Williams is more of a facilitator and knows where the open man on the floor is even when he doesn’t have the ball in his hands. Williams will do wonders for both the second unit and the starters, as he mixes in with Giddey and Gilgeous-Alexander.

The true luxury of this group will be the passing skills from OKC’s big men, though. Holmgren is a fantastic passer and was able to show shades of the future during the summer league. He has great vision to find the open man and was on point with his back door passing. He won’t be asked to set his teammates up often, but working the ball around and passing over defenders will become a trademark for Holmgren.

The Thunder will have plenty of assists to go around this season. While Giddey is likely to lead the squad in the dime department, Gilgeous-Alexander won’t be far behind and both Mann and Williams will be counted on off the bench. Holmgren, who will man the front court, could easily be top five on the team in assists, too.

An assortment of willing passers is never a bad thing to have in the NBA.


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