Nikola Jokic Joins Elite Company with Triple-Double Season
DENVER — In a remarkable achievement that has sent ripples through the basketball world, Nikola Jokic has cemented his place in NBA history by averaging a triple-double for the season. This feat places the Denver Nuggets star in an exclusive club, as he becomes only the third player ever to accomplish this remarkable statistical milestone.
The moment of statistical certainty arrived on a Friday night when Jokic notched his fourth assist during the Nuggets’ 117-109 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. That assist marked his 700th of the season, ensuring that even if he didn’t record another assist before the regular season concluded on Sunday, he would still average no less than 10.0 assists per game.
However, Jokic didn’t stop there. He went on to finish the night with an impressive 12 assists, complementing his 26 points and 16 rebounds. This performance marked his 34th triple-double of the season, a testament to his all-around brilliance on the court.
To put Jokic’s achievement into perspective, the only other players to average a triple-double for an entire season are Russell Westbrook, who is currently Jokic’s teammate in Denver, and the legendary Oscar Robertson, a Basketball Hall of Famer. Westbrook accomplished this feat four times, in the 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19 seasons with Oklahoma City, as well as in the 2020-21 season with Washington. Robertson achieved it during the 1961-62 season while playing for Cincinnati.
The assist that clinched Jokic’s place in history came on a score by Christian Braun with less than a minute remaining in the first half. Initially, it wasn’t credited, but the box score was updated at halftime to reflect the assist.
Jokic’s 34th triple-double of the season ties him for the fourth-most in a single season in NBA history. Westbrook holds the record with 42 triple-doubles in the 2016-17 season. Notably, no other NBA player had more than 10 triple-doubles this season as of Friday.
This season marks the first time Jokic has averaged double digits in assists. His previous career-best was in the 2022-23 season when he averaged 9.8 assists, along with 24.5 points and 11.8 rebounds.
As Minnesota coach Chris Finch noted earlier this month, “When you have a guy like Jokic, who creates so much offense for his teammates, everyone’s going to have really good looks if you don’t do the right things.”
Jokic is also on track to finish this season with a career-best scoring average and is likely to achieve the second-best rebound average of his career. Additionally, he will set career highs in both 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage.
Looking ahead to Denver’s season finale against Houston on Sunday, Jokic needs 47 points to elevate his scoring average to 30.0. If he accomplishes this, it would mark only the third time in NBA history that a player has averaged a 30-point triple-double for a season, a feat previously achieved by Westbrook and Robertson.
With 164 regular-season triple-doubles to his name, Jokic now ranks second in NBA history, trailing only Westbrook’s 203.
- Jokic’s triple-double season places him in elite company.
- He joins Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson in this exclusive club.
- Jokic’s 34 triple-doubles this season are tied for the fourth-most in NBA history.
- He is on track to set career highs in several statistical categories.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Originally Written by: ESPN.com
