Are low assists a problem for the health of Wichita State’s offense?
There is one statistic hanging over Wichita State’s season that keeps tugging at the nerves of its fan base: assists.
Or more precisely, the lack of them as the Shockers close out nonconference play at 4 p.m. Sunday against Eastern Kentucky at Koch Arena.
Numerically, the assist profile is jarring. WSU’s assist rate sits at 40.6%, ranking No. 354 nationally — meaning only 11 teams in the country assist on a smaller percentage of their made baskets. The Shockers are averaging just 11.1 assists per game, threatening the program’s record low of 11.3 from the 1969-70 season.
It raises the central question: Do assist totals this low actually mean WSU has a broken offense?
At first glance, it feels like a smoking gun. Teams with higher assist rates tend to post better offensive efficiency. But correlation is not causation. Assist rate measures how points are created, not how many points are scored per possession.
Put another way, passing is a pathway to efficiency — not the only one.
It is absolutely possible to post a low assist rate and still score efficiently. It happens more often than fans might realize. Teams can compensate by excelling in other efficiency drivers: drawing fouls, taking care of the ball and winning the rebounding battle.
That is where WSU’s offensive identity comes into focus.
The Shockers apply consistent rim pressure, leading to fouls rather than clean finishes. They rank No. 86 nationally in free-throw attempt rate, a key indicator of shot quality. Free throws may not show up as assists, but they are the most efficient shot in basketball.
Ball security has also been a strength. WSU ranks 24th nationally in turnover percentage with just 12% of its possessions ending in giveaways. Every empty trip avoided is another possession that doesn’t require a perfectly executed pass to produce value.
And when shots do miss, the Shockers extend possessions. They rank 18th nationally in offensive rebounding rate, tracking down 39% of their own misses. Those extra chances matter. WSU ranks sixth nationally in the percentage of its scoring coming off second-chance points, averaging 15.3 second-chance points per game — about a fifth of its total offense.
“Efficiency is the main goal,” Mills said. “You’ve got to make sure you’re taking efficient shots and, more importantly, that you’re preventing efficient shots.”
Taken together, the numbers paint a different picture than the assist totals alone. WSU owns a top-100 offensive rating at 115.8 points per 100 possession. On KenPom’s adjusted efficiency scale, which factors in competition, the Shockers sit at No. 108 nationally — not explosive, but functional.
There is also historical context to consider. Mills’ offenses have traditionally never been assist-heavy. During his tenure at Oral Roberts, his teams posted four straight seasons ranked in the national top-75 in adjusted offensive efficiency, yet none finished above the national average in assist rate. As Mills stated, efficiency, not assist volume, is the priority.
That philosophy explains why WSU sometimes looks uncomfortable to the eye. When a ball handler pounds the dribble on the perimeter late into the shot clock, Koch Arena can get antsy. Those possessions can sometimes end in ugly misses, like they did several times in the DePaul loss. Because the offense doesn’t rely on constant passing to create advantages, stagnation can creep in.
WSU could certainly benefit from better ball movement that produces a handful of extra assists. But that is not the only way for this group to score more efficiently.
The one clear outlier in the backcourt is backup point guard Dre Kindell, who owns a superb 3.15 assist-to-turnover ratio with 41 assists against just 13 turnovers, proof that ball security can coexist with selective passing for WSU.
But often, the best option is simply getting the ball on the rim and letting the Shockers’ size and activity take over. Offensive rebounds from Will Berg, Emmanuel Okorafor, Karon Boyd, T.J. Williams, Dillon Battie and Noah Hill don’t show up as assists, but they still count as high-value chances.
And as Mills explained, fouls can help WSU at both ends of the floor.
“If you think about the fouls, not only will they allow you get to the bonus quicker,” Mills said. “But it also allows you to have a set defense. So free throws help you offensively, as well as defensively from an efficiency standpoint.”
Assists matter. They always will. But they are not the sole indicator of offensive health. For this team, efficiency — however it is generated — is the real scorecard.
The Shockers will look to score an efficient win, regardless of how it looks, on Sunday. The final contest before Christmas break can be tricky for teams, but Mills said on Friday that he is confident that WSU’s focus won’t drift.
“Winning on Sunday,” Mills said, “is the difference between having Christmas and having a merry Christmas.”
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