John Lucas is the Spurs’ all-time leader in single season assists per game.
The San Antonio Spurs have had some talented passers orchestrating offenses throughout their 59 seasons in the NBA, from Johnny Moore in the 1980s and Dejounte Murray more recently. Today, we’re highlighting which hoopers have had the best assists per game seasons in franchise history.
John Lucas – 1984, 10.7 APG
Despite suiting up for just one season in San Antonio, Lucas continues to stand alone at the top of this list after dishing out a career-best 10.7 assists per game during the 1983-84 campaign. The former first overall pick in the 1976 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets added 10.9 points and 1.5 steals across 63 outings, 39 of which he started. Lucas enjoyed a productive 14-year career as a pro, spending time with the Rockets, Golden State Warriors, Washington Bullets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Seattle SuperSonics, compiling averages of 10.7 ppg, 7.0 apg, and 1.4 spg in 928 total appearances (430 starts).
Johnny Moore -1985, 10 APG
Moore, who holds down the next three spots in Spurs history, was a two-way menace throughout the ‘80s. In 1984-85, the then 26-year-old appeared in all 82 games en route to 12.8 points a night while setting career-highs in dimes (10.0), rebounds (4.6), and steals (2.8). Moore tallied 38 double-doubles and five triple-doubles, and he had 46 outings with ten or more assists and nine outings with five or more steals, including a career-best ten swipes.
Johnny Moore – 1983, 9.8 APG
A couple of years earlier, Moore posted similar numbers to his ‘85 statistics, averaging 12.2 points, 9.8 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.5 steals over 77 games. Originally drafted 43rd overall by the Sonics in 1979, Moore made his way to the Alamo City officially in 1980, remaining with the Spurs until the 1987-88 season. The Altoona, Pennsylvania native suited up for a single game with the New Jersey Nets that same year, but following another release, Moore spent one campaign overseas before returning to San Antonio for one final run in 1989-90.
Johnny Moore – 1982, 9.6 APG
Moore dished out 9.6 assists per game in 1981-82 and 1983-84, but we’re going with his ‘82 campaign since he was the NBA assist champ in his sophomore season. He added 9.4 points, 3.5 boards, and 2.1 steals against just 2.2 turnovers across 79 games, a career-low TPG mark in the five years he averaged at least 28.0 mpg. In ‘84, Moore battled injuries but was effective when healthy, registering 10.1 ppg, 9.6 apg, and 2.1 spg over 59 outings. The 6-foot-1 guard appeared in 519 contests during his nine-year career, all but one in a Spurs uniform, and put up averages of 9.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 7.4 apg, and 2.0 spg.
Avery Johnson – 1996, 9.6 APG
Johnson spent the majority of his 16-year career in San Antonio, and at age 30 in the 1995-96 season, he erupted for career-best figures in assists (9.6), steals (1.5), and minutes played (37.6) across a full 82 games. The 1999 NBA champion with the Spurs collected 23 double-doubles that year, and he handed out 6.8-plus dimes in six of his eight full campaigns in Texas. Johnson also played for the SuperSonics, Warriors, Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, and Denver Nuggets during his time as a pro, recording averages of 8.4 ppg, 5.5 apg, and 1.0 spg in 1,054 contests.
