Nikola Jokic is like no other near seven-foot center that the game has ever seen. The way he sets up his teammates and orchestrates the offense is a work of art. Jokic is truly an offensive savant, and his Denver Nuggets feel forever blessed that the triple-double merchant fell to them with the 41st overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Without him, they wouldn’t have sniffed their first NBA championship in franchise history in 2023.
Magic Johnson was selected with the first overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1979 NBA Draft. The sport had never really seen a point guard at his size (6-foot-9) be able to run such a high-powered offense. There is a reason that many still consider Johnson to be the all-time GOAT at the point guard position.
While the Nuggets lost 126-114 to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, Jokic was able to pass Johnson on the all-time triple-double list. There are just two names that the Joker is behind on that list now.
Jokic Passes GOAT Point Guard For Third-Most Triple-Doubles
Nikola Jokic Surpasses Magic Johnson In Career Triple-Douhles
With the Cavaliers win over Denver on Thursday, they improved to an NBA-best 20-3. Despite the loss, the 29-year-old Jokic filled up the box score, just as he does in nearly every game. The 10-year veteran finished the outing with 27 points, 20 rebounds, and 11 assists. That was Jokic’s ninth triple-double in his 17 games this season, and the 139th of his already legendary career.
That is now one more than Johnson accumulated in his career, moving Jokic into third place all-time on the triple-doubles list. The fact that he is already in third before the age of 30 is mind-blowing. Jokic has been skyrocketing up the list in recent seasons. With one more triple-double this season, it will be his eighth-straight where he has reached double-digit totals. The three-time MVP had 54 of them in just 2022-23 and 2023-24 alone.
Will He Become Third To Average A Triple-Double In A Season?
As mentioned, Jokic is now looking up at just two names on the all-time triple-double list. They are Oscar Robertson and his now current teammate, Russell Westbrook. Robertson has 181 in his Hall of Fame career, and Westbrook has 200 (and counting?).
What Robertson and Westbrook have in common is that they are the only two players to ever average a triple-double in a season. Robertson did so in 1961-62 with the Cincinnati Royals posting averages of 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists. It didn’t happen again until 2016-17 when Westbrook averaged a triple-double with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Now 36 years old, Westbrook had three other seasons after where he also averaged a triple-double (two more with Oklahoma City, once with the Washington Wizards).
While the Nuggets still have 62 games remaining, Jokic is looking to become the third. Playing in 17 of Denver’s first 20 games, the Serbian currently possesses absurd averages of 29.9 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 10.4 assists.
One thing is for sure, if Jokic can stay around his current rate of triple-doubles, he will become the all-time triple-double king in the not-so-distant future.
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