Jason Kidd. Rajon Rondo. LeBron James. Russell Westbrook.
Four people who’ve never been in my kitchen. Also: They’re the four most recent players to lead the league in triple-doubles in multiple seasons.
Kidd did it eight times in nine years between 1999–00 and 2007–08. LeBron took the mantle for three seasons after that, and Rondo did it twice in ’11–12 and ’12–13.
Westbrook, meanwhile, is working on his third straight season dominating the field in the feat. And he’s working on leaving the other names mentioned above in the dust on a seeming quest to become synonymous with it.
In 2014–15, the Oklahoma City Thunder guard had 11 triple-doubles. Last season he reached 18, tying him for eighth-most in a season all time with Magic Johnson. This year he has 17… through 38 games. That puts him on pace for 37 if he keeps up the same pace and plays all 82 games.
(For the record, the most triple-doubles Kidd had in a season was 13. LeBron’s high was seven, and Rondo’s was six.)
But wait, you say: Let’s look further back. Didn’t Oscar Robertson average a triple-double for an entire season? Yes, he did, in 1961–62. But he actually earned a triple-double in only 41 of his 80 games in that season, or an average of .513 TRIDBL/G.
Westbrook is at a .447 TRIDBL/G pace. No, not up to Robertson levels, but here’s the kicker: Much has been made about the bump in pace we’ve seen in the NBA in the past few years and this season in particular. As of today teams are averaging 96.2 possessions per 48 minutes, the highest number since 1992–93.
But that pales in comparison to the pace of play when Robertson set his mark: 126.2 possessions per 48 minutes. To state the obvious, that’s far, far more opportunities to accumulate stats than Westbrook currently has.
What’s more, the number of triple-doubles this season—not just for Westbrook but leaguewide—has made a much larger year-over-year leap than pace. ESPN’s triple-double stats database goes back to 1999–00, and up until last season the leaguewide total fell in a relatively predictable margin (between 23 and 46 per year). Then things went nuts.
Last year we saw 75 triple-doubles. This year we’re already at 44, and on track to hit 96.
While 2016–17 pace has increased 4.5 percent over the average between 1999–00 and 2015–16, we’re seeing 150.8 percent more triple-doubles per game this season than the average in the same time period.
So what explains the jump this season even from last year’s already elevated number?
Well, despite what was said above, you can’t totally discount pace. An extra couple of possessions per game can easily turn into an extra rebound or assist to push an almost-triple-double (not a stat) into the real mccoy.
But it also comes down simply to two ball-dominant, high-rebound-rate guards: Westbrook and his former teammate, James Harden, neither of whom’s team is playing significantly faster than it did last year.
In Westbrook’s case, he was already the NBA’s leading man in the category (see top). And with the departure of Kevin Durant to Golden State, he got a slight uptick in minutes (to 34.7) and a massive uptick in usage rate (to 42.4, highest in the NBA). So it stands to reason he’s racking up triple-doubles at an elite rate.
Harden, meanwhile, has 10 triple-doubles to date. That puts him on pace for 21, and is already two more than he had the previous three seasons combined.
Again, it comes down to situation. Harden officially became the Rockets’ point guard in the off-season, which has raised his usage rate to a career-high 33.8. What’s more, he also had a high-profile, rebound-hoovering teammate move on in the form of Dwight Howard, which has allowed him to bump his total rebound percentage to 12.5 from 8.8 last season.
Further evidence the trend isn’t just about pace: Draymond Green had 13 of the NBA’s 75 triple-doubles last year, but he’s not going to approach that number this season, with just two through 34 games, despite the fact that the Warriors are actually playing a bit faster. The culprits are usage and minutes—both down this season—and the fact that he’s now sharing the ball with Durant.
Beyond Westbrook and Harden, the rest of the league is at a relatively sane triple-double pace. Surprise, surprise: LeBron James is in third spot right now with three, which puts him on pace for six or seven, right in line with past totals.
So it’s clear triple-doubles on the whole are in a boom time, and that’s partly due to pace. But the crazy totals we’re seeing now has less to do with a leaguewide trend and more to do with a two-headed beast.