Johnson Had Both Quantity And Quality to His Assists

ACC Network ranked two of NC State point guard Markell Johnson's assists among the five best in the conference this season
Johnson Had Both Quantity And Quality to His Assists
Johnson Had Both Quantity And Quality to His Assists /

With 11 assists in what turned out to be his final game, a second-round ACC tournament win against Pittsburgh last Wednesday, Markell Johnson officially ended the season as the league leader in that category.

His average of 6.77 per game edged out Duke's Tre Jones (6.38), officially making Johnson the first player to lead the ACC in assists twice in his career since North Carolina's Kendall Marshall did it in 2011 and 2012. The NC State point guard also led the conference as a sophomore in 2017-18. 

But there was more to Johnson's passing than just quantity. According to the ACC Network, the quality of his assists were just as high.

The network selected two of Johnson's assists among its top five in the conference this season in an online feature posted on social media Wednesday.

Checking in at No. 5 is Johnson's dish to D.J. Funderburk in the Wolfpack's Senior Night victory against Wake Forest at PNC Arena.

On the play, Johnson lured both Chandee Brown and Olivier Sarr to him at the top of the circle. Then after freezing them with a hesitation move, he ducked under Brown's outstretched arm and hit the wide open Funderburk -- who was rolling to the basket off a high screen -- for a dunk.

The assist that was ranked No. 2 was even more spectacular.

It was an overhand bounce pass in transition between three Syracuse defenders that traveled nearly half the length of the court, springing Devon Daniels for a basket that got State off and running to a key road victory at Carrier Dome.

Johnson, a second-team All-ACC pick, finished his Wolfpack career with 607 assists, ranking third on the school's all-time list. His total also ranks him 25th in ACC history while his 165 steals are the 10th most by a State player.


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