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. Read on to see more about Paul and the other great ball distributors who have played for the Pels franchise.
1. Chris Paul – 4,228 Assists
Paul has 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 has a real shot at moving into second place by the time he hangs up his sneakers, passing Jason Kidd. 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.
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 (16.1 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 – 1,487 Assists
Ingram has been as advertised since joining the Pels in 2019 and is already making his mark on the franchise’s record books. B.I. is dishing out 5.2 assists per game thus far in his New Orleans career in addition to being a solid rebounder (5.5 RPG) and dangerous scorer (23.1 PPG). At just 27 years old, Ingram has a chance to move way up the franchise leaderboards in a wide variety of categories.
4. Tyreke Evans – 1,139 Assists
Evans spent over 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 2014 to 2016. He was also a strong defender that would chip in more than one steal per game on average.
5. Greivis Vásquez – 1,063 Assists
General Greivis had a short but impactful stint with New Orleans during his eight-year NBA career. Vasquez averaged 7.4 assists per game over two seasons (144 games, 104 starts) with the Pelicans and was in the running to win Most Improved Player in 2013 but lost out to then-Indiana Pacer Paul George. The former University of Maryland star had his most prolific assists games while in New Orleans with 15 or more dimes on three different occasions.
More Pelicans All-Time Assists Leaders
- David West (1,042 Assists)
- Anthony Davis (982 Assists)
- Baron Davis (950 Assists)
- CJ McCollum (886 Assists)
- Zion Williamson (761 Assists)
