The days of the pass-first point guard leading the NBA in assists are all but over.
These days, the league’s top assisters are typically more than capable of scoring on their own and end up making plays for their teammates after attracting the defense’s attention.
Below, I’ll assess the latest NBA assists leader odds and make my picks for the 2025-26 campaign.
NBA Assists Leader Odds
These NBA lines are current as of Thursday, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m. ET and courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.
- Trae Young (+185)
- Nikola Jokic (+250)
- Cade Cunningham (+1400)
- James Harden (+1800)
- Luka Doncic (+2000)
- Josh Giddey (+2400)
- Andrew Nembhard (+3500)
- LaMelo Ball (+4000)
- Isaiah Collier (+4000)
All other players have (+7500) odds or longer.
Who Will Be the NBA Assists Leader in 2025-26?
Trae Young (+185)
Trae Young is likely going to be among the NBA’s leading assisters this season.
The Atlanta Hawks point guard led the league in this category last season, averaging a career-best 11.6 per game. He has dished out double-digit assists per night each of the past three seasons and has ranked among the league’s top three assisters every year since the 2019-20 campaign.
Take Young to defend his crown as the NBA assists leader as your NBA bet of the day.
NBA Assists Leader Favorites
Nikola Jokic (+250)
The fact that a 6-foot-11 center ranks second in the NBA assists leader odds is honestly ridiculous, but that tells you everything you need to know about the basketball unicorn that is Nikola Jokic.
The Denver Nuggets star finished as the runner-up to Young in this category last season and was the only other player to average double-digit assists (10.2).
That performance wasn’t a fluke. The 30-year-old is one of the league’s best passers, having dished out at least nine assists per game each of the past three seasons.
If you want to fade Young in this category, going with Jokic is a solid option. Plus, it’s a fun outcome to root for.
Cade Cunningham (+1400)
Cunningham is one of the best ascending young players in the NBA, and he took a significant step forward as a playmaker last season.
The Detroit Pistons guard averaged a career-high 9.1 assists per game, good for fourth in the NBA, while also setting a new personal best in scoring at 26.1 points per game.
The 24-year-old ranked in the top 10 league-wide in usage rate, so he’ll have the ball in his hands early and often. I just wonder if Cunningham can progress enough this season to overcome last year’s 2.5-assist gap between him and Young.
NBA Assists Leader Contenders
James Harden (+1800)
Harden has topped the NBA assists chart on multiple occasions. He last accomplished the feat in the 2022-23 campaign, averaging 10.7 assists per game for the Philadelphia 76ers.
However, the 36-year-old’s numbers have fallen off slightly in his two seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers. Harden averaged 8.7 assists last season, which was good for fifth in the league and a slight uptick on his 2023-24 total (8.5).
Still, I’m hesitant to back Harden at this number, especially after LA brought back pass-first point guard Chris Paul this offseason.
Luka Doncic (+2000)
This price is too good to pass up for a player of this caliber.
Doncic didn’t play up to his All-NBA standards last season, but I’m willing to look past that. The 26-year-old dealt with injury issues, a shocking midseason trade, and had to adjust to a new environment.
He should be as motivated as ever to prove the Mavericks wrong about his conditioning, and I expect to see the best of him this season.
Doncic finished third in the league in assists two seasons ago, posting a career-high 9.8 per game, and I think he’ll come close to or surpass that mark this year.
NBA Assists Leader Sleepers
Andrew Nembhard (+3500)
Nembhard is an interesting sleeper pick to lead the NBA in assists because he will be stepping into the void left by Tyrese Haliburton in the Indiana Pacers’ backcourt.
Haliburton has been among the league’s top-three assisters each of the past three seasons, topping the charts in the 2023-24 campaign with 10.9 assists per game. Unfortunately for the Pacers, he is expected to miss the 2025-26 season after tearing his Achilles tendon during the NBA Finals.
Indiana needs someone to step into the primary playmaking role, and Nembhard is the most likely option. The 25-year-old point guard started 65 games last season, averaging 10 points and five assists per game.
While Nembhard clearly doesn’t have Haliburton’s talent, he will have the opportunity to lead one of the league’s higher-paced offenses. If he takes to it well, he could make a run at overcoming these longshot odds.
LaMelo Ball (+4000)
I really want to buy low on LaMelo Ball because there’s no denying his talent level.
The 24-year-old tied for eighth in the NBA in assists last season (7.4 per game) while also averaging better than 25 points per contest.
However, Ball has legitimate durability concerns. He played fewer than 50 games for the fourth time in five NBA seasons and has featured in just 105 contests over the past three campaigns.
His top-five usage rate (34.2%) screams potential and value at this number, but it’s hard to trust Ball to deliver consistently right now.
Previous NBA Assists Leaders
Here are the last five NBA assist leaders:
2025: Trae Young
2024: Tyrese Haliburton
2023: James Harden
2022: Chris Paul
2021: Russell Westbrook
