The triple-double, once a mystique filled achievement that wasn’t seen on a nightly basis has almost become routine business these days as a number of players are messing around and getting a triple-double even more than Ice Cube.
As of March 14, there have been an incredible 86 triple-doubles and counting during the 2016-17 season which is a new record for a single season.
Ricky Rubio recorded the record-breaking 79th triple-double on March 9.
Ricky Rubio recorded the @NBA's 79th triple-double of the season, the most ever in a single season in @NBAHistory! pic.twitter.com/r8ABFrvmVZ
— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 5, 2017
With LeBron’s triple-double Tuesday night (his fifth in the last nine games) there have also now been three players with at least 10 triple-doubles in an NBA season for the first time in NBA history.
With his triple-double Tuesday, LeBron James joins Harden and Westbrook to make history, via @EliasSports: pic.twitter.com/qFxpCsD9yO
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 15, 2017
Pretty incredible that you not only have a player in Westbrook averaging a triple-double and chasing a record for the most in a season that has stood for 55 years, but you have a player like Harden with 16 which is one of the better seasons in NBA history, and a legend in LeBron James who has the most triple-doubles in any given year of his illustrious career.
Here is the complete listing of the 22 players who have recorded one this season thus far:
Triple-Doubles Leaders:
1 Russell Westbrook 33
2 James Harden 16
3 LeBron James 10
4 Nikola Jokic 4
5 Draymond Green 4
6 Elfrid Payton 3
7 Julius Randle 3
8 Giannis Antetokounmpo 2
9 DeMarcus Cousins 2
10 Chris Paul 1
11 Nicolas Batum 1
12 Malcolm Brogdon 1
13 Jimmy Butler 1
14 Marc Gasol 1
15 Ricky Rubio 1
16 Blake Griffin 1
17 Kyle Lowry 1
18 Kevin Durant 1
19 Tim Frazier 1
20 Rajon Rondo 1
21 Karl-Anthony Towns 1
22 Eric Bledsoe 1
This incredible feat of statistical accomplishment is a result of a confluence of factors including unique talents in the NBA with high usage rates, a league that is much more predicated on ball movement and the ability to get high-quality shots at the rim and from the three-point arch, better shooters across the league and teams playing at a much faster pace, not to mention more offensive freedom with hand-checking being illegal.
Russell Westbrook currently has a record usage rate of 42.3% and there are 11 players in the league with a usage rate of 30 percent or higher when on the court.
There are currently 8 NBA teams playing at a pace of 100 possessions or more per game, compared to zero in the league from 2010 to 2013.
There are also 34 players shooting 40 percent or better from three-point range, which would tie the 2008-09 season for the most in NBA history.
We are in the midst of a statistical revolution in the NBA this season as the league is experiencing the most impressive stats across the board since the 1960s when you had players like Oscar Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain who revolutionized the game and dominated to levels previously unseen.
Enjoy the year of the triple-double.
