The Dallas Mavericks’ top 5 assist leaders of all time

The Dallas Mavericks were founded in 1980. Since then, the Mavericks have played 25 playoff games and won the NBA championship in 2011. Let’s take a look at executive careers by highlighting the five best players in this department.

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1. Derek Harper – 5,111 assists

Harper spent 17 seasons in the NBA, including two different stints in Dallas. He maintained a consistent presence on the field, appearing in at least 77 games in each of his first eight seasons in the league. His most impressive performance in the assist category began in 1986-87 when he averaged 7.9 assists per game. He would average at least 7.0 assists over the next four seasons. Overall, he averaged 5.9 assists per game with the Mavericks.

2. Brad Davis – 4,524 assists

Davis moved around the league early in his career, playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz in his first three seasons. He found a home in Dallas and played with the Mavericks for twelve consecutive seasons before retiring from his basketball career. In six of these seasons he appeared in at least 80 games. After arriving in Dallas, he quickly established himself as a reliable playmaker, averaging at least 6.2 assists in five seasons. In the 1982–83 season, he averaged 7.2 assists per game, the highest of his career.

3. Jason Kidd, 4,211 assists

Kidd began and ended his career with the Mavericks. With the team, he won the 1994-95 Rookie of the Year award, averaging 11.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game. While he spent much of his career between the Nets and Suns, he played a total of 500 games for the Mavericks. He helped lead the Mavericks to their first and only NBA title in 2011, averaging 33 minutes in the 80 games he played.

4. Dirk Nowitzki, 3,651 assists

Nowitzki spent his entire career in Dallas, leading the Mavericks to the championship in 2011 and earning Finals MVP honors. He was named the league’s MVP in 2006–07 and finished in the top 10 in MVP voting nine times. Although Nowitzki never averaged more than 3.5 assists per game in a season, he finished his career with an average of 2.4 Assists per game and played a total of 1,522 games for the team.

5. Luka Dončić 3,317 assists

Dončić is the only active member on this list. It’s impressive that he’s already made it to the top five considering he’s only been in the league for six seasons. He also appeared in 66 games or fewer in four of those seasons. However, he enters the 2024-25 season having averaged at least eight assists over the past five seasons. During the 2023-24 season, he averaged 9.8 assists, along with 33.9 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Dončić won the Rookie of the Year award in 2018-19 and has finished in the top eight in MVP voting each of the last five seasons.