Nikola Jokić has officially secured a triple-double average for the season, becoming just the third player in NBA history to achieve this remarkable feat. This milestone was confirmed on Friday night when Jokić recorded his fourth assist in Denver’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies. That assist marked his 700th of the season, ensuring that he would finish with an average of at least 10.0 assists across 70 games.
Jokić joins a prestigious list of players who have averaged a triple-double for an entire season: Russell Westbrook, his current teammate in Denver, and Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson. Westbrook achieved this four times in his career, while Robertson accomplished it in the 1961-62 season with the Cincinnati Royals.
“I don’t know what to say. It’s good,” Jokić commented after the game when asked about the achievement. The assist that clinched the triple-double average came with just 52 seconds left in the first half, on a score by Christian Braun. Initially, it wasn’t credited, but the box score was updated at halftime. Jokić also completed a triple-double in the game, marking his 34th of the season, finishing with 26 points, 16 rebounds, and 12 assists in Denver’s 117-109 victory.
Jokić, the Serbian star who has won three of the last four NBA MVP awards and is a top contender for the award again this season, has more triple-doubles this year than the next three players combined. No other player in the league had more than 10 triple-doubles as of Friday.
Interim coach David Adelman said, “If he doesn’t win the MVP, it’s the greatest season of all time not to win it.”
This marks Jokić’s first season averaging double-digit assists, surpassing his previous career-best of 9.8 assists per game during the 2022-23 season. His ability to create scoring opportunities for teammates has been praised by opponents, with Minnesota’s coach Chris Finch noting, “When you have a guy like Jokić, who creates so much offense for his teammates, everyone’s going to have really good looks if you don’t do the right things.”
In addition to his assists, Jokić is also on track for career-highs in scoring and 3-point shooting. He needs 73 points in the final two games to push his scoring average to 30 points per game for the season, which would make him only the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double with 30 points. Westbrook and Robertson are the only other players to have done so.
Jokić’s career now includes 164 regular-season triple-doubles, second only to Westbrook’s 203. He is also the second player in NBA history to have 30 triple-doubles in a season, with Westbrook being the only other player to reach that milestone three times.
