WNBA VERY generous when handing out assists

[jerbob36]

I love CC and love what she is doing for the game, sport, etc., but some of the assists they gave her last night were laughable. It's actually a league thing, so it doesn't bother me. They are super generous with what an assist is compared to the NBA, college, etc.
One of assists was a pass to AB at the free throw line. She caught it, squared up, looked at her options, drove left and finished. Assist.
Another was a pass to Mitchell who then came off a screen and eventually scored.

It's all good, just wondered if any other basketball fans/coaches here thought the assist-giving is as humorous as me.

 

[HawkAlum2002]

You aren't the only one that has noticed the generosity at times. Very first one of the game was what you described with Boston and probably wouldn't have been scored in assist back in the day. Boston paused pretty significantly before even deciding to attack the basket. Caitlin happened to be the one that passed it to her, but it didn't directly lead to the basket at all. But as long as they are consistent across the board for all the teams, it's fine. And it was even the road scorer (presumably) handing them out last night, unless the WNBA has a stats team that travels. The NBA is pretty generous with them as well which is probably why triple-doubles have become so much more prevalent. Of course the NBA has a lot more jump shots knocked down nowadays too which can add them up fast. It's kind of like hockey giving out secondary assists, some stats teams are more lenient then others and usually in the home direction. I'm a stathead so the more the merrier I guess, I like to see every player get on the statsheet for something.

 

[Georgia_Hawk]

As long as it is consistent across all teams, it does not really matter.

The NBA has its' fair share of "laughable" assists too. Magic had a ton of easy assists. Several times per game he would simply dribble to the wing and then make an easy pass to Jabbar. Jabbar shoots an unblockable sky hook and Magic gets an assist. Similar story for Stockton feeding to Malone.

However, what separates Johnson, Stockton and (yes) Clark from the others are those 3-4 plays per game that a majority of other players cannot make.

 

[AWS1022]

This has been going on for years. Magic started the whole “questionable assist” game and it’s only gotten worse. But that’s not a Caitlin Clark thing, that’s a modern basketball thing.

 

[jerbob36]

Exactly. It's a league-wide thing so it doesn't bother me. On the other hand, she should probably be averaging 10 assists per game if her teammates could make bunnies. Love the 20/10 double doubles. she will have a few 20/20s in the future.

 

[Scott559]

On the other hand many assists are lost when making a feed and the player gets fouled on a layup attempt. How about if they score at the free throw line the passer gets credited with an assist. Pass lead to points.

 

[BioHawk]

First, what exactly is an assist? I mean, I always thought if you passed the ball to someone who scored, then it's an assist. Is there language on the rule that says the player can't do anything to help generate the points beyond shooting? Because if so then the assist has been recorded incorrectly for decades.

Second, they have been more generous and the record was still only 18 compared to 30 for the NBA (although the NBA games are longer). It doesn't seem to have made much of a difference. Particularly since the WNBA game seems to lean far heavier on getting the ball to a big who then shoots it near the basket.

 

[HawkAlum2002]

First, what exactly is an assist? I mean, I always thought if you passed the ball to someone who scored, then it's an assist. Is there language on the rule that says the player can't do anything to help generate the points beyond shooting? Because if so then the assist has been recorded incorrectly for decades.

Second, they have been more generous and the record was still only 18 compared to 30 for the NBA (although the NBA games are longer). It doesn't seem to have made much of a difference. Particularly since the WNBA game seems to lean far heavier on getting the ball to a big who then shoots it near the basket.

It's not a rule per se, but it'll be directed by the statistician's manual.

Here is the NCAA basketball manual's direction for awarding assists.

SECTION 5—ASSISTS A player is credited with an assist when the player makes, in the judgment of the statistician, the principal pass contributing directlyto a field goal (or an awarded score of two or three points). Only one assist is to be credited on any field goal and only when the pass was a major part of the play. The same player cannot be credited with an assist and a field goal made on the same possession. Such a pass should be either (a) a pass that finds a player free after he or she has maneuvered without the ball for a positional advantage, or (b) a pass that gives the receiving player a positional advantage he or she otherwise would not have had.

Philosophy. An assist should be more than a routine pass that just happens to be followed by a field goal. It should be a conscious effort to find the open player or to help a player work free. There should not be a limit on the number of dribbles by the receiver. It is not even necessary that the assist be given on the last pass. There is no restraint on the distance or type of shot made, for these are not the crucial factors in determining whether an assist should becredited.

 

[BioHawk]

It's not a rule per se, but it'll be directed by the statistician's manual.

Here is the NCAA basketball manual's direction for awarding assists.

SECTION 5—ASSISTS A player is credited with an assist when the player makes, in the judgment of the statistician, the principal pass contributing directlyto a field goal (or an awarded score of two or three points). Only one assist is to be credited on any field goal and only when the pass was a major part of the play. The same player cannot be credited with an assist and a field goal made on the same possession. Such a pass should be either (a) a pass that finds a player free after he or she has maneuvered without the ball for a positional advantage, or (b) a pass that gives the receiving player a positional advantage he or she otherwise would not have had.

Philosophy. An assist should be more than a routine pass that just happens to be followed by a field goal. It should be a conscious effort to find the open player or to help a player work free. There should not be a limit on the number of dribbles by the receiver. It is not even necessary that the assist be given on the last pass. There is no restraint on the distance or type of shot made, for these are not the crucial factors in determining whether an assist should becredited.

Yeah, that's a goofy way to do it tbh. It leaves waaaay too much grey area and interpretation. I feel that if there was a pass to a player who then shoots and scores, that should be an assist. After all, if the player didn't pass the ball, then the player who shot the basket couldn't score. I could see where if a pass is made and then the player did an Erica Wheeler dribble in circles in the lane three times and then shoots and scores, that probably shouldn't be an assist. But if a player passes to someone who then is able to drive the lane and score, yeah, that's an assist.