I think it is more nuanced.
He is a great passer in transition, but struggled in half court.
However, it is easiest to handle the ball / dish for assists when you are running. Paul Harris looked phenomenal in transition, which is why people believed he might devleop into a "point guard." No, he was great in transition, but lousy running an offense in a half court set.
Coincidentally, George wasn't good at that, either.
So... depends on what you mean by "great passer." He had good court vision, and in transition hit on a bunch of lobs, dimes for his teammates. In half court sets? Not so much.