how to be a good basketball passer

What makes a Good Passer?

I read a statement the other day by Chris Paul where he ranked the best passers in the league according to himself.  Of course he put himself at the top of the list and had Steve Nash and Tony Parker right up near the top.  The alarming part to me was that Deron Williams was listed but in the 4th spot because he was ‘a pick and roll’ guy.  This got me thinking, what is a good passer?
Is a good passer someone who is flashy or is a good passer someone who gets the job done by getting the ball from point A to point B safely?  It has to be somewhere in between.  Let’s look though at some of the best all time and see where they sit in our opinions.
Magic Johnson and John Stockton:  both players are easy hall of famers.  Magic is the flash with all the rings and Stockton is the all time assist leader BY FAR.  Who is the better passer?  Magic was certainly a flashier player and could do amazing things with the ball.  He averaged 3.9 turnovers per game throughout his regular season career.  Didn’t we all think it was a bit or a lot lower.  3.9 is a high number.  Stockton on the other hand averaged 2.8 turnover per game over his career and did a great job taking care of the ball and getting it to the right players.  Turnovers are not completely indicative of a good passer and I know that but it is a good starting point.
As for Chris Paul’s view of Deron Williams being a good pick and roll passer, I think it is completely unfair.  Deron Williams plays in a great system and is the best pick and roll passer in basketball.  It creates more respect when one realizes that teams always know they are going to the pick and roll and Williams still can get a post player the ball for an easy bucket.
The list made me wonder where Deron Williams would rate Chris Paul on the list of best passers and I honestly think he’d put him up near the top.  He could say “he’s a good passer but he’s an alley oop type of guy”.
Good passers get the job done plain and simple.  So much of it is getting the ball to the right player, at the right time and in the right spot.  That’s how I tell each of my guys.  i don’t care if you throw it around the back or off your head or whatever as long as it is to the right guy at the right time in the right spot.  When I say ‘in the right spot’ I mean in his hands in a good shooting position.