Last Updated on October 18, 2025 12:13 pm by Mike Passador | Published: October 18, 2025

It feels like assists are one of the hardest stats to come by consistently in this year’s edition of fantasy basketball. Even harder yet is finding players that get enough dimes without killing your turnovers week-by-week, but we’re here to lend you a hand as draft season comes to its critical point.

We’ve assembled a group of players who are the best in terms of assists and turnovers and grouped them by category based off their current ADP. It’s also divided into groups of rounds (adapted to a 12-team league) that tend to be the more critical when building your squad. You’ll find targets whether you’re trying to go safe in the early portion, or take as many gambles as possible during the final rounds. You might even find some of these players on the waiver wire once everything is set and done.

Keep in mind that some of these players will still have a decent amount of turnovers from time-to-time — it’s just the nature of being the mind behind the play at the highest level of competition.

1st to 4th Round

If you don’t want to take the obvious ”big dogs” of the competition like Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic and even Cade Cunningham, I don’t blame you, as they will always come at a premium. Here, I tried to focus on early-round players that provide the best value possible outside the very top picks in terms of good assists and low-ish turnovers.

LeBron James (8.2 AST | 3.7 TO in 2024-2025) [ADP 31.0]

It’s a shame that in Year 22, LeBron will miss a around a month of activity due to a bout of sciatica, but his value remains unmatched for the price he’s going off drafts boards at this current time. It’s not easy to come-by someone who can drop 7+ assists a game after the first 25 picks, and if you can manage to snag the King around the third-to-fourth round of the draft, you’re already up on most teams. Still, the turnover count will be high, but as Luka Doncic is taking the role of the primary offense creator on the Lakers, James could see that number go down steadily.

Jalen Brunson (7.3 AST | 2.5 TO in 2024-2025) [ADP 23.0]

Most find the value of Brunson in his scoring, as he’s a lethal weapon from all areas of the court and will score at volume no matter how crowded his team is. That said, Brunson is a great target if you want to have assists without jeopardizing your turnover stat so much, as his ratios are very decent for someone with his usage on offense. He’s not the best playmaker in the league but in fantasy basketball, his assist game is much more impressive than it’s talked about out there.

Josh Giddey (7.2 AST | 2.9 TO in 2024-2025) [ADP 29.6]

If we can trust that the post-ASG player is the real version of Josh Giddey, then there’s nothing to worry about as he’ll be one of the best deals in terms of production-per-round in most drafts. The Bulls were sure of this, as they gave the Aussie a big extension in the offseason and he should have the keys to the offense as long as he can prove he deserves them. Now, how confident are we in this? If the 23-year-old struggles, competition is certainly there with Coby White being a better scorer and Ayo Dosunmu being the best defender of the group Giddey certainly has a bit of a higher risk element to his profile but he was so good last season that he should get plenty of room to operate before the Bulls consider changing their mix.

De’Aaron Fox (6.3 AST | 2.8 TO in 2024-2025) [ADP 39.3]

A hamstring injury has the Spurs main point guard on the sidelines and he is likely to miss a portion of the start of the season, but as soon as he takes the court he’ll be chasing his best assists numbers thanks to a full season with Victor Wembanyama as his sidekick. Don’t let the ADP fool you, if Fox wasn’t injured he would be a top-25 choice with no doubt about it, and he definitely brings more to the table than a decent AST:TO ratio.

5th to 8th Round

Jimmy Butler (5.4 AST | 1.3 TO in 2024-2025) [ADP 50.3]

In general, the 36-year-old wing is one of the best and most underrated players in this year’s draft, specially on the playmaking side with one of the best ratios you’ll see overall. Sure, the risk with drafting Jimmy is how much his body could limit him during the regular season, but playing in Golden State should give him a bit more breathing room in comparison to how tough it was for him to handle the workload on the Miami Heat in years past. The Warriors have enough depth to manage Butler’s workload and can limit his high-stress usage to keep him on the court as much as possible, and also have him produce to the level we expect.

Josh Hart (5.9 AST | 2.1 TO in 2024-2025) [ADP 67.2]

With Tom Thibodeau out of town, everyone and their ADPs agree that Josh Hart will take the biggest step back in terms of production, as his playing time will likely be regressed toward NBA standards. That said, the veteran wing still has a very important role within the Knicks and whether he’s starting or coming off the bench, his play-style will still get him some solid assists, while possibly having keeping his turnovers in check compared to last year. Another gamble that could pay big in the long run of a long season.

Darius Garland (6.7 AST | 2.5 TO in 2024-2025) [ADP 67.7]

Similar to the De’Aaron Fox case, the Cleveland Cavaliers star point guard will miss time at the beginning of the season after undergoing surgery on his left toe four months ago. This recovery road is a bit bumpier than Fox’s due to the Cavs medical staff going as slow as possible with Garland, as they’re in no rush to bring him back. Still, the Vanderbilt alumni is one of the best bargains of the draft at his ADP, as 20-point scorers that can dish 7+ assists a game are not easy to come by, and Garland takes care of his loose balls more than the average point guard.

Andrew Nembhard (5 AST | 1.7 TO in 2024-2025) [ADP 74.2]

No Tyrese Haliburton means it’s Nembhard’s time to shine as the main playmaker on the Indiana Pacers for a full season. Indiana is set to be one of the most make-or-break type of teams in fantasy basketball with how many “new” players are on the standard-league radar, and the Canadian guard is probably the most popular name outside of Pascal Siakam. The 25-year-old is a very efficient playmaker but it remains to be seen if he can run the offense as well as he has before without Haliburton drawing so much defensive attention from opponents. Fortunately for you, the assists should be the category that are safe in his repertoire.

9th to 12th Round

D’Angelo Russell (5.1 AST | 1.9 TO in 2024-2025) [ADP 113]

While Kyrie Irving comes back from his knee injury, D-Lo will have the keys to the offense as long as Cooper Flagg does not snatch it from him. Russell is not known for being an avid playmaker but he does offer a lot of value in these late rounds as his turnovers are low enough for someone getting this amount of minutes.

Isaiah Collier (6.3 AST | 2.9 TO in 2024-2025) [ADP 134.1 ADP]

What we said about D’Angelo Russell? The opposite applies to Isaiah Collier: He’s racks dimes when he has minutes, but at the expense of higher turnovers. If he can manage to carve out 30 minutes or more a night with the Utah Jazz just like he did at the end of last season, he can be a team-changing pick as his style of play will get him stats no matter who handles the ball. Let’s just hope your team is built to withstand his weaknesses.

Chris Paul (7.4 AST | 1.6 TO in 2024-2025) [ADP 137]

Grandpa Paul is the main reason why this article exists, as the Point God nickname describes his elite blend of playmaking while taking care of the ball. This year, returning to the Los Angeles Clippers, his minutes could take a dip, but he’ll produce regardless and you won’t even have to worry about his turnovers affecting your team totals.

Tyus Jones (5.3 AST | 1.1 TO in 2024-2025) [ADP 138.8]

He’s not a starter anymore, but he should remain one of the best options when it comes to netting assists and keeping turnovers on the low. He’s been a premier pick for this archetype and he also provides decent shooting and steals. Jones should get a boost early in the season as Jalen Suggs is eased into his return to the court due to his knee injury.

Ayo Dosunmu (4.5 AST | 1.5 TO in 2024-2025) [ADP 139.6]

Sure, the assist numbers are not wonderful for the price, but Dosunmu will be a very important player in Chicago’s rotation and should be taken as a low-end playmaker with low turnovers in cases where the obvious picks are off the board. Dosunmu offers defensive stats as well, which will always be a plus.

Deep Leagues Targets

Davion Mitchell (5 AST | 1.7 TO in 2024-2025) [ADP 139.1]

Taking the starting role from Terry Rozier late in the season, Davion Mitchell was awesome down the stretch and is a great late pick in the draft. His playmaking has shined on a Miami Heat roster that will also be without Tyler Herro for a good portion of the regular season, and the 27-year-old will be taking advantage of those extra possessions early in the campaign.

Tre Jones (4.2 AST | 0.8 TO in 2024-2025) [ADP 139.2]

Another darling of the category, Jones had a resurgence with the Chicago Bulls during the second half of last season, and he will be seeing solid minutes off the bench for Billy Donovan’s squad. He will be a solid choice for assists and low turnovers, but it remains to be seen how much he’ll play with a healthy Bulls squad for most of the season.

Bub Carrington (4.4 AST | 1.7 TO in 2024-2025) [ADP 143.4]

The battle for the starting point guard role in Washington will be something to follow closely, as Carrington and Tre Johnson have different profiles, with Bub being the best passer between the two. This is a risky pick as the turnovers could increase and the usage could be reduced depending on how good the rookie does against the sophomore, but this is expected when targeting players at such a late stage of the draft/on the waiver wire.

Caris LeVert (3.4 AST | 1.2 TO in 2024-2025) [ADP 141.6]

Now a full-time bench option, LeVert is more of a scorer than a passer, but his playmaking game has been making strides as the years pass. His veteran presence will be key throughout the season for the Pistons, and LeVert should see a lot of minutes as one of the most reliable wings on the roster.

Jose Alvarado (4.6 AST | 1.5 TO in 2024-2025) [ADP -]

Jordan Poole is the new main man in New Orleans, but I doubt that affects how effective has Jose Alvarado been in the past. His defensive presence should guarantee minutes even with a crowded rotation, and his playmaking will come in handy if any of the Pelicans guards get injured. He might not be worth drafting now, but keep him shortlisted while he’s on the waiver wire.

Jamal Shead (4.2 AST | 1.6 TO in 2024-2025) [ADP -]

Even if Immanuel Quickley stays healthy for most of the season (unlikely based on his recent injury history), Jamal Shead did enough last year to earn the backup point guard role and with limited minutes, he can still produce useful numbers for your fantasy team. Unless you’re in a very deep league, he might not be worth drafting, but as we said with Jose Alvarado, it’s best to keep him close in case the chance presents itself.

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Pedro Oliveira

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