Oleksiy Pecherov is Having a Historic Season

by Jake Whitacre on Mar 10, 2009 1:43 PM EDT in Player Analysis

[Ed. Note: I misread the chart listing the players that have gone an entire season without an assist. There are more than the 92 that I originally said in this post, but the assist-less season is still rare enough to merit special attention, in my opinion. -Jake]

A guy that averages 7.8 minutes per game and has only played in 21 games this season probably doesn't strike you as a guy that could be having a historic season. Yet when you check the stats, you'll realize that Oleksiy is closing in on something that very few players have ever done: Going an entire season without recording an assist.. (HT: pantslessyoda1)

As you look through the records of players who have gone entire seasons without recording an assists, you'll notice a trend of players who didn't get much playing time. Of all the assist-less seasons in NBA history, only 13 of them have involved players getting more than 100 minutes of playing time, but a 14th could be added if Pecherov can keep his assist total at 0 for the final 18 games of the season.

If his season ended today, he'd have logged the 4th most minutes in NBA history without recording a single assist and he only needs 7 more minutes to pass Mouhamed Sene's 2006-07 season for 3rd. Unless Pecherov can average 26 minutes a game for the last 18 games of the season, Yinka Dare's record for the longest season without an assist will remain in tact, but if he can go the rest of the season without a dish to a teammate, he will secure his place in history and live up to his creed of "I get buckets (and only buckets), son."

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Another goal to add to the list...get Pech an assist

Wow, the assist-turnover ratios on that list are astronomical.

By the way, isn’t it more than 92? The first link shows 100 and that’s just S-Z. Or am I reading it wrong?

by MR on Mar 10, 2009 2:07 PM EDT reply actions

D'oh!

I misread the chart. I’ll fix that immediately.

Bullets Forever: A blog dedicated to the Washington Wizards with analysis, commentary, and more YouTube videos than your eyes can handle.

by Jake Whitacre on Mar 10, 2009 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions

Also

Pecherov has taken almost twenty more field goal attempts on the season than the next highest player on the list. He’s also got a 21% usage rate, which puts him right between Blatche and McGee on the Wizards, and which is also higher than Ray Allen’s.

by pantslessyoda1 on Mar 10, 2009 8:13 PM EDT reply actions

If I were Pecherov on this team

I wouldn’t pass either.

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by Matt K. on Mar 10, 2009 8:54 PM EDT reply actions

Wow

That is pretty depressing stuff. Definitely very historic.

OneSeasonNHL

by OneSeasonNHL on Mar 11, 2009 5:48 PM EDT reply actions

How about Pech's 13-in-18 minutes tonight?

Great article, JakeTheSnake.

I have to say, the way Mike James tends to short all his three pointers and Andray Blatche’s fade-aways fade too far away, even if Pecherov is guaranteed never to pass the ball once it is in his hands, even if it is garbage time in a game the Wizards couldn’t have won, it’s nice to see some efficiency outside of Darius Songaila.

by GvP on Mar 18, 2009 12:16 AM EDT reply actions