Chris Paul stands alone as the best assist-man in Pelicans history.
Some of the great modern-day passers have distributed the ball for the Pelicans since their inception in 2002-03. Chris Paul is head-and-shoulders above the rest when it comes to assists as CP3 is among the league’s all-time greats in that regard.
1. Chris Paul – 4,228 Assists
Paul starred for several organizations during his storied career and though he has not been with this franchise since the 2011-12 season, his accomplishments still stand the test of time. CP3 ranks third all-time in assists and was the NBA assist champ five times in his career – two of them while with the then-New Orleans Hornets. Paul had some unbelievable games while with New Orleans when it comes to assists; on three separate occasions, Paul dropped 20 or more dimes in a game. Across six years with the franchise, he averaged 9.9 assists per game.
2. Jrue Holiday – 2,833 Assists
Holiday is another current-day player who is no longer with the Pels but left an indelible mark during his time in New Orleans. “The Jruth” was with the Pelicans from 2014 to 2020 and dished out an average of 6.8 assists per game in that span. Holiday isn’t one-dimensional, though. He can fill it up (15.9 PPG in his career) and has been named to NBA All-Defensive Teams six times. Holiday has won two titles in his career, most recently with the Celtics in 2024.
3. Brandon Ingram – 1,580 Assists
Ingram made his mark in New Orleans after being acquired in 2019. B.I. averaged 5.2 assists per game during his six seasons in the Big Easy, in addition to being a solid rebounder (5.5 RPG) and dangerous scorer (23.0 PPG), setting up his teammates and helping the team to the Playoffs in 2022 and 2024.
4. Tyreke Evans – 1,139 Assists
Evans spent nearly four seasons in New Orleans and filled a variety of roles both as a starter and as a sparkplug off the bench. He had his best years in terms of assists while with the Pelicans, averaging 6.6 assists per game in back-to-back years from 2015 to 2016. He was also a strong defender that would chip in more than one steal per game on average.
5. Zion Williamson – 1,119 Assists
Williamson, a former No. 1 overall pick by the Pelicans in 2019, surpassed CJ McCollum to move into the top five all-time in assists in franchise history. Williamson has slowly worked his way up several team categories, including points, steals and field goals, despite multiple injury-filled seasons. The two-time All-Star has averaged at least 20 points per game in each of his first six seasons with New Orleans while averaging 4.5 or more assists in three of those campaigns.
