New York Knicks: 15 greatest floor generals of all-time

Whereas some players preferred to score the ball themselves and others just logical human beings who play the game the right way, Mark Jackson was born with a gift, which allowed him to be one of the best floor generals in the NBA.

As a rookie, he averaged 10.6 dimes, setting the tone for a career that would put him in the top-5 all-time in assists.

It’s hard to explain what exactly made Jackson such a terrific passer. Rather, he simply had this remarkable ability to see any given play a few steps ahead and make the pass that needed to be made.

The beauty about Jackson though, was his ability to make any type of pass. It didn’t matter which defender was in front of him or the type of angle the ball had to be thrown at in order to get to a teammate, Jackson always made the impossible passes seem so routine. He would do this by adjusting either himself or the basketball to avoid turning it over, making sure his teammate was in the best position to score.

Aside from the flash he brought to the court, Jackson really understood what it meant to be an NBA point guard, saying “The point guard’s responsibility is to run the court, know who to get the ball, when he should get it and where they should get it.”

Jackson really was the quintessential point guard, always looking to dish the rock with a unique knowledge of timing and angles. In the end, this is what made him so successful in New York as a guy who played for the team instead of himself.