5 NBA players who could break Russell Westbrook's record for triple-doubles
Russell Westbrook only recently recorded his 182nd triple-double to become the all-time leader in this category. Westbrook's showing no signs of slowing down either, making it feasible for him to exceed 200 or even 250 triple-doubles before he decides to officially ride off into the sunset. But, as they say, records are meant to be broken.
Is Russell Westbrook's triple-double record breakable?
Now there's no guarantee that Russell Westbrook's triple-double record will ever be broken. In fact, Westbrook has 83 more triple-doubles than the next current active player (LeBron James), so no player is going to seriously threaten his record anytime soon.
However, if a player were to break the triple-double record within the next decade, we believe it would be one of these five stars.
#5 Domantas Sabonis (Indiana Pacers)
Current triple-double count: 13
Domantas Sabonis is quietly having a breakout campaign during his fourth year with the Indiana Pacers. The Lithuanian is averaging 20.4 points, 12 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.2 steals per outing while shooting 53.9% from the field. The points, assists and steals averages are all career-high for Sabonis.
Much like his father, Arvydas Sabonis, Domantas is a gifted passer, skilled rebounder and possesses a high basketball IQ. Consequently, Sabonis has been able to parlay these tremendous traits into his first two All-Star selections over the past two seasons. Those attributes have also allowed Sabonis to post a career-high nine triple-doubles this season, the fifth-highest in the entire league.
With Sabonis turning 25 years old in May, he's merely entering his prime years. Moreover, he has improved every year since coming into the NBA. Don't be shocked if Sabonis continues to ascend the triple-doubles leaderboard for the foreseeable future.
#4 Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
Current triple-double count: 25
Giannis Antetokounmpo has a rare combination of athleticism, length, size and strength that makes him a nightmare matchup for any opposition. The NBA's reigning Defensive Player of the Year and MVP has led the Milwaukee Bucks to the third seed this season.
Three years ago, Mike Budenholzer took over as the Bucks' head coach and implemented a five-out motion offense. Coach Bud's offensive philosophy prioritizes surrounding Antetokounmpo with four shooters at all times. This gives Giannis ample spacing to relentlessly attack the basket without the persistent threat of teams clogging the paint.
Due to Budenholzer's offensive approach, Antetokounmpo's strengths have been maximized. From 2018-19 to present day, Giannis has averaged 28.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists, while shooting 56.6% from the field. Giannis has also notched 16 of his 25 career triple-doubles during this span.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has posted seven triple-doubles this season, the most he's had in a single campaign. With him continuing to evolve as a playmaker, expect the Greek Freak's career triple-double numbers to continue to rise.
#3 Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers)
Current triple-double count: 32
Depending on who you ask, Ben Simmons is either one of the most criminally underrated young stars in the NBA today, or one of the massively overrated ones. Regardless, the ambidextrous Australian's 6'11 frame, playmaking ability and off-the-charts basketball IQ make him a triple-double threat every time he steps on the court.
Ben Simmons is the lone player on this list to have been a former No.1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. While he gets a lot of flak for his jump shot or lack thereof, you can't deny that the other facets of Simmons' game are elite.
Even without a consistent jump shot, Simmons has managed to become one of only eight active players to record at least 30 triple-doubles. Furthermore, Simmons is currently the only active player in the NBA to have recorded 10+ triple-doubles in the rookie season.
Considering that Simmons is only 24 and has played just four years in the NBA so far, he technically hasn't even scratched the surface of his limitless potential yet. Given his athleticism, size, passing ability and overall feel for the game, it wouldn't be surprising if Simmons were to eventually become a threat to Westbrook's triple-double record.
#2 Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
Current triple-double count: 35
There aren't enough adjectives in Webster's Dictionary to give Luka Doncic his due justice; he's truly that special. Doncic arrived on the NBA scene after being drafted by the Atlanta Hawks with the third overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks. The Slovenian hasn't disappointed since.
Even though Doncic is merely in his third season, he's already the Mavericks' franchise leader in career triple-doubles. The next closest player is Hall of Famer Jason Kidd, who recorded 21 triple-doubles and played 500 games with the Mavs.
Doncic took only 190 games to record his 35th career triple-double. He's one of only 11 players in NBA history to ever reach 35 triple-doubles in their career. Additionally, he's one of five active players to accomplish such a feat.
In his sophomore campaign in 2019-20, Doncic led the entire NBA in total triple-doubles (19). He's one of four players to post at least 10 triple-doubles this season. Across three seasons and 197 games so far in his career, Doncic has nearly averaged a triple-double with 25.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and 7.7 assists.
Doncic's had a top 10 usage rate in all three of his NBA seasons thus far: ninth in 2018-19, second in 2019-20 and second in 2020-21. With head coach Rick Carlisle opting to revolve the Mavs offense around Doncic, expect the Slovenian to stack up gaudy triple-double numbers over the next few years.
#1 Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
Current triple-double count: 56
Nikola Jokic makes a compelling case for being the most offensively skilled center in NBA history. Although Jokic is the only player on this list to be drafted in the second round, he leads others in career triple-doubles by a comfortable margin.
The Denver Nuggets' 6 ft 11 in point center is currently the leading candidate to win the 2021 NBA Most Valuable Player Award. With his star teammate Jamal Murray suffering a torn ACL earlier this season, Jokic has had to shoulder an even heavier load than normal this season. The three-time All-Star is averaging a near triple-double this year with a career-high 26.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.4 assists.
Jokic's had 15 of his 56 career triple-doubles in the midst of his stellar season. He only trails Westbrook for most triple-doubles in the 2020-21 season. Jokic's 56 career triple-doubles are the most by any player in the Nuggets' franchise history, fourth-most for active players and the ninth-most in NBA history.
The most fascinating part about Jokic's playing style is that his game isn't based on athleticism. As long as he can stay healthy, there's no reason why the Serbian's game shouldn't age gracefully as he gets older. As a result, if a player were to break Russell Westbrook's all-time triple-double record, it would most likely be Nikola Jokic.
Also Read: 2020-21 NBA Season: 5 superstars who have broken multiple records this year