Chris Paul passes his way into Clippers history

Chris Paul is all about feeding his teammates, making them happy, making sure all the Clippers get the ball in the right position to score.

So when one of the few pass-first point guards of this era made history Friday night, Paul said it was “definitely cool” to set the franchise record for the most-ever assists.

In six seasons as a Clipper, Paul now has 3,502 assists, passing former leader Randy Smith (3,498). Smith played eight years for the franchise, seven in Buffalo and one after the team moved to San Diego.

“First of all, Randy Smith is first in everything in the Clippers history books,” Paul said after delivering 11 assists in the Clippers’ 99-88 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. “But any time your name will last after you [are done playing] is pretty cool.”

Paul also had 27 points and six steals against the Grizzlies, but he was most pleased with getting his teammates involved. He sees it as his job to know where they are on the court.

“I always say the one thing about assists is that I’ve got the easy job,” Paul said. “All I’ve got to do is pass it to somebody. They’re the ones that’s got to make it. They got to make the shot. So, that’s always been a natural thing, is just finding guys.”

Paul said his teammates sometimes apologize for not finishing a play off of one of his passes.

“DJ [DeAndre Jordan] did it tonight when he rolled and I hit him with a pass,” Paul said. “But it goes both ways. I’m somebody who pays so much attention my passes. If I hit J.J. [Redick] for a shot and the ball is not where it’s supposed to be, then I’ve got a problem with that, because everybody plays a part. And J.J. is a shooter and for him to be great at what he does, I need to put the ball where he needs it.”

As it turned out, Paul moved past Smith with a pass to Redick for a jumper with 9 minutes 32 seconds left in the third quarter.

“That’s awesome. That’s what he is,” Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said of Paul. “He’s a true pure point guard, one of the few we have in the league. It’s just amazing to watch him play basketball. He’s got all those assists and I still yell at him about shooting more. But he pretty much knows what he’s doing and he’s great at it.”

Etc.

Forward Paul Pierce, who missed the first four games recovering from a sprained right ankle, was active for Friday night’s game but did not play.

broderick.turner@latimes.com

Follow Broderick Turner on Twitter @BA_Turner