Top 5 all-time Sacramento Kings assists leaders

Oscar Robertson never averaged fewer than 9.5 assists aside from his last year with the Cincinnati Royals.

One of the oldest franchises in NBA history, the Sacramento Kings have been in Rochester, Kansas City and Cincinnati dating back to 1923. Through all the years and all the cities, no player dropped more dimes for the franchise than Oscar Robertson.

1.

Oscar Robertson

– 7,731 assists

One of the best to ever do it, “The Big O” was a revelation for his time. The 6-foot-5 point guard was a master in just about every way on the court. In his 10-year run with the then-Cincinnati Royals, Robertson never averaged fewer than 9.5 assists aside from his last year with the team, and averaged 30-plus points in six seasons. While he won a championship and received an All-NBA Second Team nod in his first season after leaving the Royals, Robertson’s prime was unquestionably his 10-year run in Cincinnati. Ten All-NBA honors (nine first-team), Rookie of the Year and MVP, Robertson earned his spot atop this list.

2.

Sam Lacey

– 3,563 assists

Lacey was a bit of a revelation himself. Standing at 6-foot-10, the center was ahead of his time with his playmaking. While he was a beast on the boards (10.5 per game in Royals career), his per-game assist tally was 4.7 or higher on four separate occasions and peaked at 5.7. The one-time All-Star even tallied nine triple-doubles in his career, further proving the versatility he brought at the center position.

3.

Nate Archibald

– 3,499 assists

At “Tiny” Archibald’s best, he was a matchup nightmare. In the 1972-73 season, Tiny averaged 34 ppg and 11.4 apg (career highs) and finished third in MVP voting. While that was far and away his best career season, he had three other seasons with the franchise in which he averaged at least 24.8 ppg and 6.8 apg.

4.

De’Aaron Fox

– 3,146 assists

The Kings had reached the playoffs in eight straight seasons from 1999-2006 before a brutal 16-season playoff drought. The drought ended with Fox as the star that led them back to the postseason. The 5th overall pick in 2017, Fox was handed the keys in Sacramento early into his NBA career and he didn’t disappoint. While he got just one All-Star nod in a loaded Western Conference during his time with the Kings, Fox averaged 21.5 points and 6.1 assists and was the main man “lighting the beam” in Sacramento for 7.5 seasons.

5.

Reggie Theus

– 2,809 assists

Joining the Kings at age 26, Theus improved statistically in essentially every season of his five-year run with the team. His points per game steadily climbed each season from 15.8 to 21.6, and his assists rose from 7.0 to 9.6 per game across his first three seasons before slightly dipping to 8.8 and 6.3 in his final two Kings campaigns. Theus’ stint with the franchise was short-lived, but the 6-foot-6 shooting guard made his mark.