To be considered a complete player you need to be a good if not very good passer. You cannot win ball games on your own, so you need to know how to get the ball to your teammates so they can help beat the opponent as well.
Being a great passer helps your game in many ways. One way is that your opponent will began to play you differently.. He knows that if you are a great passer he is not going to leave his man to either double team you are help out with another player, thus opening the floor up a little. Plus this will open up you game and could even give you more looks at the basket and eventually more points.
Usually the guards on the team are thought of as being the best passers and usually if not always a guard leads the team in assists. But if you are a big man and can pass, the sky is the limit.
Being a big gives you another perspective on the game since you can see the court better than others. If you can hit cutters down the lane of dish out the outside for a jumper, than you inside game is going to open up incredibly. Two former big men that come to mind are Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlin. Present day great big men that are exceptional passers are Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.
Always make good solid passes
Always make sure they are crisp passes that are hard ad quick, but not so hard that even you teammates cannot handle the passes. The quicker the pass the less time it is in the air and the less time a defensive player has to intercept it or deflect it..
Lead your teammate
Always lead your teammate with a pass. Pass to where he is going in order to hold make him stop dead in his tracks. Help him get to the basket or the corner by leading him with the pass in the direction he is going.
Dribble to open up a passing lane
If you are being covered tightly or there is a great deal of help side defense then you have to dribble to open a passing lane. By dribbling to a spot, the defense will have to react, whether it be to double you so you can pass off to the open man or you might just beat your defend and head to the basket.
Ball fakes are mandatory
Make ball fakes whenever necessary or even if not. This will keep the defender on his toes and they will not know what to expect and can help to open passing lanes, and always help you to get the ball in down low to the post.
If you consciously practice your practice skills on a daily basis, you will see a vast improvement on the court. Remember being a great passer does not just help your teammates, being a great passer opens up more opportunities for you to score or increase your assist average.