Chris Paul to Pass a Phoenix Suns Legend in Record Books
Grasping the ball near mid-court, ready to inbound, Chris Paul scanned the floor Saturday night as he and his Phoenix Suns looked to dissect the Cleveland Cavaliers. Within a moment’s notice, he flashed his head one way, then sliced the ball around Lauri Markkanen and into a cutting Mikal Bridges‘s hands for a wide open dunk .
It went down as his first of 10 assists for the night, and as number 10,318 for his career. But after building a tower with all these dimes across his 16-year NBA tenure, Paul is about reach new heights—even for a guy nicknamed the “Point God.”
Now with 10,328 career assists, Paul only need to dish out seven more to pass Mark Jackson on the NBA’s all-time list. If he manages to toss out eight or more assists, then he will also pass Steve Nash, and become the number three all-time assist man.
With Paul currently averaging 10.6 assists per game this season, calling for him to indeed make history tonight feels like an accurate forecast. Paul and the Suns also find themselves slated to go up against the New Orleans Pelicans—a team currently struggling with its defense, averaging the ninth most opponent points per game.
Although this year only comes as Paul’s second season playing for the Suns, it feels all too poetic for him to surpass arguably the franchise’s greatest player ever while wearing Phoenix threads. Both Paul and Nash represent the point guard position at its most respected level, with one on his way to the Hall of Fame and another already there.
If Paul passes Nash, then that leaves only Jason Kidd and John Stockton standing between him and the all-time assist crown. They both currently sit well positioned though, with Kidd owning 12,091 dimes to his name, and Stocking with 15,806.
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Paul might not extend his already legendary assist numbers that far. But whether it happens during tonight’s game or the one after, Paul will surely pass Jackson and then Nash at some point point, making for a truly special moment in Suns history