Basketball can be a highly entertaining sport. Between the NCAA March Madness tournament, NBA playoff season in the spring and even your local high school, there are plenty of opportunities to catch some quality basketball.
The game is full of action and it doesn’t take a long time for the game to take place. Overall, the game is usually over in about 90 minutes and there are plenty of plays that just might simply amaze you.
You are almost guaranteed to see double digit 3 pointers made and a handful of dunks at any NBA game that you attend. The NBA game is built on stars and the stars are well known!
Also, stars are easy to identify on the basketball court as they typically are bigger, faster or can jump higher. Basketball is a highly skilled game and the three point shot has changed the game forever.
If you are new to the game or wondering what is a triple double in basketball, then you have come to the right place. Not only will we help you understand a triple double in basketball, but if you are playing the game, coaching the game or supporting your kid in their journey in basketball we provide 3 tips to make a triple double possible.
So, What is a triple double in basketball?
A player is considered to have achieved a triple down when they reach 10 or more in three of the following five categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals or blocked shots. The most common of these give are points, rebounds and assists. The triple double is difficult to obtain because it takes multiple skills sets and plenty of playing time and opportunities to touch the ball.
Below we will break down the following:
- The five statistical categories
- The history of the triple double
- Tips to help you achieve more triple doubles
- Related questions to What is a Triple Double in Basketball
What is a triple double in basketball – The Five Statistical Categories
Points
Probably the easiest of the five to obtain in a game because baskets count as 2 and 3 points, unless it is a free throw. With the number of 3 pointers increasing at every level of basketball, it is easy for most starts to get to the 10 point mark in points scores.
Oftentimes, the best players reach this mark before the first half is even over. In the NBA the best players will average over 25 points a game and as high as in the low 30s. The numbers would agree that 10 points is the easiest target for the first leg of the triple double.
Rebounds
I would make the argument that the double digit rebound option is the second easiest level, especially for the player playing the 3, 4 or 5 position. At the NBA level, a taller player can easily get 3 or 4 rebounds a game on missed free throws in which many of them go uncontested.
Even for the point guard who often can come down and clean up some of the longer misses, the rebound category isn’t as difficult to reach. Now as far as averaging 10 rebounds a game, that is quite an accomplishment, but on any given night 10 rebounds is possible for the NBA player who plays close to 40 minutes a game.
Players like a LeBron James can grab 10 rebounds pretty easily on most nights. This is often impacted by the field goal percentage of the opposing team.
Assists
The assist category is more difficult to hit the 10 number. It takes having the ball in your hands a significant amount of time and hopefully having your teammates hit some key shots.
You can make some great passes that set up teammates for easy shots, but they still have to make it. You lose some of the control on this category because you are relying on teammates to hit shots.
When compared to the points or rebounds, you are now relying on teammates to perform at a certain level on a given night. The other difficult part is when you are feeling it that night and putting up a lot of points. Some of the best players like a Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant might be better off shooting more shots and worrying less about assists.
These two guys could fill up the points on any given night and statistically they were the best option of many of the possessions their teams had night in and night out.
Steals
The steals and the block shots categories are the two most difficult to achieve out of the five categories. I haven’t seen many triple doubles that have either steals or blocks associated with them.
This is more likely at the high school level or below where the game might involve full court presses and chaos ensues on the court due to the full court pressure and a truly dominating performance at a high school level. You won’t see many NBA players having 10 steals in a game.
Blocked Shots
Like the steals, once you reach a certain level competition wise, the possibility of reaching 10 blocked shots is greatly reduced. If you are known as a shot blocker, most teams are going to design their offense to avoid the area or many that you are responsible for.
One would think after the 5th or 6th block the team will be smart enough to not challenge that defender any longer. This makes it difficult to reach the double digits in blocks.
The History of the Triple Double in Basketball – Some Fun Facts
- Russell Westbrook is the most recent player to average a triple double for an entire season. Over a three year period he had a total of 101 triple doubles. Even as a point guard that handles the ball frequently he has been able to tally enough rebound to average a triple double. He also has the most triple doubles in any season with 42 as the current record.
- Oscar Robinson is the NBA all time leader with 181 all time triple doubles. He is the only other player besides Russell Westbrook to average a triple double over a season.
- Magic Johnson played a significant role in the triple double being recognized. He had a total of 137 triple doubles in his career.
- LeBron James always averages in the upper 20’s for points and typically is around 7 rebounds and 7 assists per game. He is someone that often has the basketball in his hands and dominated offensive possessions for his team. His vision of the court made triples doubles somewhat of a regular occurrence for him. LeBron James will more than likely record more than 100 in his career by the time he retires.
- Michael Jordan, the all time great that he is, only recorded 28 triple doubles in his career. Many will argue he is the greatest of all time due to his scoring ability, excellent defense and being 6-0 in NBA Finals. LeBron James currently is 3-5 in NBA finals appearances.
- Another point guard in Jason Kidd recorded 107 triple doubles in his career. He was the ultimate floor general and the assists were never a problem for Kidd. His vision was superior to many basketball players and truly ran a team’s offense.
- It is interesting to see the number of points guards on the all time list. Someone like Rajon Rondo has 32 on the list and is in the top 12 all time.
- Magic Johnson is the all time postseason leader with 30 and not too far behind is LeBron James with 23. IN game 7 of the 2016 NBA finals LeBron James put up 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Maybe the biggest victory of his career as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the 72 win Warriors after being down 3 to 1 in the series.
Tips To Help You Achieve More Triple Doubles
Tip # 1 – Be a Great Ball Handler
In order for a team to rely on you at all times of the game, the ability to handle the ball is vital. The ability to be a dual threat player that can score and pass is essential to your long term success as a stat stuffer. The ability to run and offense and see the floor while maintaining excellent control of the game, allows the coach to place great confidence in your abilities. Being a great ball handler comes from daily practice. Here is a video of the routine that Steph Curry goes through to improve his ball handling skills.
Tip # 2 – Have Great Court Vision
If you are frequently going to get to 10 assists or more in a game, you must have great court vision. The best of all time include Magic Johnson, LeBron James, Jason Kidd and Russell Westbook. You never know if these guys are going to attempt to score or setup a teammate.
This great versatility keeps the defense honest and opens up scoring opportunities at different points of the game. The mindset is that you will do whatever is best for your team whether that is scoring or making the pass to setup a teammate. LeBron James might have the best court vision of all time, he is right up there with Magic Johnson.
The versatility of these two players is amazing. The ball handling skills and the unselfish approach combined with incredible court vision made them the triple double threats that they were. Here is a video on developing excellent court vision:
Tip # 3 – Play Tough and Physical
This helps when it comes to rebounding. It also helps the coach keep you in the game. Coaches love the player that will do anything to help the team win. Rebounding is something that not many players want to do.
They would rather run down court and hope for the easy layup or the dunk opportunities. Those unique guys that are willing to mix it up underneath are a coach’s dream and extremely valuable to the team.
When you combine this mentality with the ability to score and set up teammates, you can become one great basketball player that coaches want on their team.
The player that comes to mind is Draymond Green, love him or hate him, he is someone that is fighting for his team. He is tough and tenacious and never stops. His team success is more important than his own success. This has allowed him to get many triple doubles without scoring a ton of points. 5 ways to build mental toughness in basketball video:
Final Tip
Regardless of the sport that you play, it is important to be a good teammate. Those that put the success of the team over personal success experience more overall success. Coaches are looking for the intangibles and make someone a great teammate as this will help the team achieve its goals.
It is OK to have personal goals and work hard to achieve those, but the team has to come first. As parents or coaches, we much stress this with our youngsters as they’re coming up and playing sports.
Too many times, a team’s overall success is restricted by those that might be selfish on the team. Be the quality teammate and willing to pass the balm. Be the player that makes those around you better.
LeBron James and Magic Johnson are perfect examples of players that put it all out there and play a team style of basketball. They have received plenty of recognition for their accomplishments in the game of basketball. Their teams also played in many NBA finals series and were victorious many times.
People view these two players as the ultimate team player. Be like Magic or LeBron in your basketball journey.
Related Questions
What is a Double Double?
A double double is when a player gets to 10 or more in two of the five categories discussed above. Many big men may average a double double in points and rebounds. While many point guards will average a double double with points and assist. A coach loves the dual purpose player and averaging a double double is an impressive feat.
What is an assist?
When a loss that a player makes leads directly to a basket. It does not count if they are fouled when shooting and go to the line and make both.
What is the difference between an offensive rebound and a defensive rebound?
An offensive rebound occurs when you are at the basket your team is scoring at. The shot is taken by one of your teammates and you are able to grab the rebound.
Offensive rebounds are highly valuable as they provide second chance opportunities and extend possessions. A team with a good amount of offensive rebounds can fight through a game when they aren’t shooting a high percentage from the field.
A defensive rebound occurs when your team is on defense and the other team shoots. This is vital to rebound well to cut down on the other teams second chance opportunities.
Why is a triple double something special?
It shows the versatility of the player. The ability to reach double digits in three of the five categories is a great sign that the player is a complete player and had a game that puts their team in the best position to be victorious that game.
Some guys can fill up the scoring part of the stat sheet, but maybe it took them 30 shots to score 20 points. The offensive efficiency is key in today’s game. The analytics show us many stats, but the triple double remains a great indicator not eh quality of the overall player.
Is it difficult to accomplish a triple double at the high school level?
I would say yes it is due to the amount of actual game time. At the NBA level there is a total 48 minute game where the best players are playing 40 or more minutes a game.
Even if a player played the entire game at the high school level they would only log a total of 32 minutes per game. This puts the high school player at about an 8 minute disadvantage to get the 10th rebound or assist.
There are less possessions naturally due to the shorter game time. One potential advantage at the high school level is there may be a greater discrepancy in the talent difference. There are some bad high school teams that can’t compete with each other.
While in the NBA all players have reached a certain level.
And Finally…
Here at sportswarrior365 we believe in playing the game the right way and are here to support you in your journey to reach your full potential. We love sports as much as you do and understand the importance of sports in developing quality people physically, mentall and socially.
Take some time and check out our many other articles as many have tips to help you get better at your craft. Don’t forget to play the game the right way and always be the best teammate on the court. Treat the game with respect and it will pay you back in many different ways.