Great players make the players around them better. It’s why LeBron James has the legacy he does, why James Harden is much more than a great scorer, and why Luka Doncic has been the pre-season MVP favorite the past two years. The impact of these generational talents is, in part, visible in the assist column, but a lot of it lurks below the surface and is trickier to put your finger on, despite watching it unfold every night.
Usually we call it “gravity,” the fact that a player’s mere presence changes the way the game unfolds on the court, and it’s a huge part of the reason these high-volume, high-production players can put their teammates in such great positions to succeed.