Phoenix Suns Superlative Stat 7: Team Assists
Some people argue this statistic is more meaningless than what many fans think. Their main basis for this is somewhat backed up by the fact the top three teams in assists per game this season (Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans) all missed the playoffs.
That being said, the Golden State Warriors led the league in assists each of the previous five seasons, and they had a pretty good run during that stretch win-wise, so the right answer is that assists are one data point on an infinite map of success metrics.
Regardless of how much assists may or may not translate to wins, leading the NBA in assists is impressive. It just is. The Suns finished with 27.2 assists per game, good for best in the Association.
For a first-year coach to take over a team that started with just six returning players and nine fresh faces, that kind of chemistry is something to behold, and doesn’t happen by accident. The work Monty Williams has done implementing quality, fun-to-watch, team-oriented basketball in such a short amount of time cannot be overstated.
Now that he has kicked the tires and gotten comfortable in his new role, it is only a matter of time before this style of basketball turns into more wins.