Chris Paul leads the Pelicans in assists per game for four consecutive seasons.
Basketball returned to New Orleans in 2002, and since then, whether they were the Hornets or Pelicans, they have been home to some of the game’s elite distributors. From Rajon Rondo to Jrue Holiday to someone featured heavily on this list, who truly may be one of the best point guards of all time.
Below, we’ll take a look at five of the best single-season per-game assists performances in the team’s history.
Chris Paul – 2008, 11.6 APG
Before cementing himself as one of the greatest point guards, Paul started his career in New Orleans, when the team was still the Hornets. In just his third NBA season, he truly broke out as a player, earning his first All-Star nod and finishing second to Kobe Bryant in the league’s MVP voting. He did it while averaging a career-best and league-leading 11.6 assists, while also leading the league with 2.7 steals and added 21.1 points per game.
Chris Paul – 2009, 11.0 APG
Paul’s excellence continued in his fourth season, when he once again led the league in assists (11.0) and steals (2.8) per game. CP3 also averaged a career-high 22.8 points, leading to a 5th-place finish in the league’s MVP voting. He also earned his second All-Star appearance and Second-Team All-NBA honors.
Chris Paul – 2010, 10.7 APG
Dominance continued for Paul, who dropped 10.7 assists per game in 2010, to finish second to Steve Nash. Paul had a down season by his standards, partially due to suffering torn cartilage in his knee, limiting him to just 45 games. He still averaged 18.7 points but did not figure into the NBA’s award season. He did earn his third All-Star nod but was unable to compete due to the injury.
Chris Paul, 2011 – 9.8 APG
Paul makes his final appearance on the list, despite falling below double-digit assists for the first time in three seasons. His 9.8 assists per game were good for fourth best in 2011, while he averaged what at the time was a career low 15.9 points per game. Despite the slight dip in numbers, Paul was still playing at a high level, especially on the defensive end. Once again, he led the league in steals, with 2.4 per game, and was named Second-Team All-Defense.
Greivis Vasquez – 2013, 9.0 APG
Rounding out this list is Vasquez, who spent seven seasons in the NBA, mostly operating as a backup. However, in the 2013 season, he started all 78 games he played in, and in the process, tallied the best statistics of his career. His 9.0 dimes per game were a career best and were the third most in the NBA that season, behind Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul, who was now with the Clippers. He also averaged 13.9 points per game. After his successful season, Vasquez would be traded to the Kings, then the Raptors, soon after, where he would operate as a sixth man.
