‘On a different page’
Kidd praises NBA’s latest triple threats
New York — Triple-doubles suddenly are the rage in the NBA.
Rising Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has one already this season. LeBron James and James Harden both have posted three.
And Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook had a stunning eight triple-doubles entering the Thunder’s game at Washington on Wednesday night. Better yet, Westbrook was averaging a triple-double (30.9 points, 11.9 assists, 10.3 re-
bounds).
What in the name of Oscar and Magic is going on, anyway?
It’s not an easy thing to accomplish, getting double figures in three categories, usually points, rebounds and assists.
The 6-foot-11 Antetokounmpo did it five times last season after coach Jason Kidd moved him to the point guard spot. His sixth triple-double came with a 21-10-10 performance in a Bucks victory over Orlando on Nov. 21.
Kidd knows something about triple-doubles, ranking third alltime with 107, behind only Oscar Robertson, the all-time leader with 181, and Magic Johnson with 138.
“I don’t think the guys get enough credit for the basketball IQ,” Kidd said of the new triple-double threats. “We talk about their talents of being able to jump and score.
“You have to think the game if you’re going to have a triple-double. You can’t just roll out there and roll into 10 rebounds or 10 assists.
“That’s thinking the game at a very high level. Right now you’ve got quite a few guys, Westbrook and LeBron. They’re all on a different page than most of the guys in the league.”
Entering Wednesday,
James and Westbrook were tied with 45 tripledoubles.
Kidd ranks second in league history in assists, trailing only John Stockton, so he knows what it means to get teammates their opportunities.
“I think it meant you were involved in the game,” Kidd said of hitting a triple-double in the box score. “You were doing whatever it took to help the team win.
“You look at Westbrook what he’s doing and LeBron, helping the bigs rebound. The bigs appreciate that. Then on the offensive end, finding bigs or finding open guys.
“You need someone on the other end to get an assist.”
Others to record a triple-double this season are the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Julius Randle, each with one.
Antetokounmpo also is threatening to bust into an even more rare air – the 5 x 5 echelon. That means getting five or more in five different categories.
The Greek Freak was a 4 x 5 man in the Bucks’ 118-101 spanking of Cleveland on Tuesday, scoring 34 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, handing out five assists and making five steals. He had two blocks, so three more and he would have been a 5 x 5 player.
The last NBA player to accomplish that was Golden State’s Draymond
Green in 2015 in a double-overtime victory against Boston, and before that it was Nicolas Batum in 2012, when he played for Portland.
Hakeem Olajuwon, the Houston Rockets legend, did it six times in his Hall of Fame career.
It seems reasonable to think the 21-year-old Antetokounmpo can join their company at some point.
Antetokounmpo also has a chance to join former Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the only player in NBA history to average 22-plus points, 8plus rebounds, 5-plus assists and 2-plus blocks for an entire season.
Abdul-Jabbar did it in two seasons with the Lakers, in 1975-’76 and 1978’79.
Through 16 games Antetokounmpo is averaging 22.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.1 blocks.
The only player to average a triple-double for an entire season was Robertson, who did it in 1961-’62 with the Cincinnati Royals. Westbrook is the only other player to do it for at least 19 games.
Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan said simply of Westbrook’s chances to equal the Big O’s feat: “He could do it.”
Without Kevin Durant on his team, Westbrook is carrying a heavier load but still helping the Thunder win. He had 27 points, 18 rebounds and 14 assists in a glittering
performance against the New York Knicks on Monday at Madison Square Garden.
Kidd said a triple-double usually comes naturally and without a player forcing it or looking to achieve those stats.
“I think it’s the integrity of the game,” Kidd said. “When you start chasing or you’re playing for that, the ball will bounce the other way.
“Or you need that one assist and the ball doesn’t go in. As much as we don’t think it, the ball has ears and eyes. So when you’re chasing, it can hurt the team.
“But when you’re doing it the way these guys are doing it, as a coach it makes it hard to come up with a game plan to slow them down. But it’s fun to watch guys playing at this level early in the year.”