How to record assists in basketball

An assist is the pass that leads directly to a teammate's basket. The NBA Stats Glossary defines assists as "passes that lead directly to a made basket." A basket can have one assist at most, and only the last pass before the shot can earn it.

The hard part is the word directly. Most of this guide covers that.

What counts

Under the FIBA Statisticians' Manual, credit an assist when:

• The shooter scores without dribbling. A pass outside the paint, then a catch-and-shoot score: always an assist.
• The shooter catches and scores in the paint. A pass to a player in the paint, who scores without leaving it: always an assist.
• The shooter takes a dribble or two but doesn't need to beat a defender. A rhythm dribble to find balance still leaves the assist with the passer.
• The pass beats the defense on a fast break. This holds when the receiver catches it past half-court and scores.
• The shooter is fouled in the act of shooting and makes at least one free throw. FIBA credits the assist here. Not every league does, so check yours.

What does not count

• The pass before the last pass. Even if the earlier pass created the play, the assist goes to the last passer.
• A shooter who beats a set defender. If the shooter beats a defender one-on-one, with the defender square between the shooter and the basket, the shooter created the shot. No assist.
• A miss in between. If the receiver misses and then scores on the putback, there is no assist.
• Coast to coast. A pass caught in the backcourt, followed by a drive the length of the floor, is not an assist.
• A deflected pass. If a defender clearly deflects the pass and it reaches a different teammate, there's no assist.

Judgment calls

Assists are the most subjective stat in the box score. Two careful statkeepers can watch the same play and disagree, usually when the shooter dribbles after the catch.

The FIBA manual gives a test. The passer gets the assist if the shooter drove right after the catch and the defender was caught off balance. If the shooter had to beat a set defender, no assist.

US high-school programs, college stat crews and the NBA each have their own conventions, and they can be more or less strict than FIBA. Pick one standard and use it for the whole season. Then your assist numbers mean the same thing in every game.

Examples

• A guard swings the ball to the wing. The wing catches and shoots a three. Assist to the guard.
• A post player passes out of a double team to a cutter, who lays it in. Assist to the post player.
• A guard passes to a wing at the top. The wing jab-steps, drives past a set defender and scores. No assist.
• A point guard passes to a shooter, who misses. The shooter grabs the rebound and scores. No assist.

How a statkeeper records it

Record the assist and the basket together, as one play. On paper, mark the points in the shooter's row and an assist tick in the passer's row at the same moment. Never add an assist without a made basket to go with it.

When you aren't sure, decide by the end of the possession and don't come back to it. If you rethink assists at halftime, your numbers drift.

In HoopReads, one sentence holds both stats:

“Marcus finds James for the three”

You can also give the assist on its own, right after you say the basket:

“assist Carter”

Related

• How to keep basketball stats: the whole workflow.
• What counts as a turnover: the stat most often set beside assists.
• Stat keeper cheat sheet: quick assist rulings for the table.