The Nuggets have only played four games so far this season, but Nikola Jokic is already in midseason form, making history and setting records left and right. He has recorded a triple-double in all four games, with his latest coming in just 28 minutes as Jokic was able to sit for the entire quarter while his team coasted to a 122-88 win over the Pelicans.
With that accomplishment, Jokic set a new record for the most triple-doubles ever while playing fewer than 30 minutes. Remarkably, this is the 17th time the Joker has pulled off this feat, which is a new NBA record.
On top of that, he has now tied the record for most consecutive triple-doubles to begin a season with four, something that has only been done by Russell Westbrook in the 2020-2021 season and Oscar Robertson in the 1961-1962 season.
If Jokic can put together another triple-double on Friday night against the Trail Blazers, he will stand alone with five straight out of the gate and have yet another piece of league history all to himself.
Jokic has rendered historical performances ordinary
Frankly, it’s astonishing that Jokic is doing all of this, and it’s barely making national headlines. Then again, that’s because this is just what Jokic does. Maybe it shouldn’t be headline news, because this has become the expectation.
He averaged a triple-double last season, scoring almost 30 points. Now, the team is deeper, and Jokic shouldn’t have to shoulder as much of a scoring load. There’s actually a good chance his rebound and assist numbers could go up, and he could record even more triple-doubles this season than ever before.
That would be noteworthy as the Joker is on the verge of breaking Russell Westbrook’s career triple-doubles record, and could get there as soon as this season. The 31-year-old Jokic now has 168 for his career, while Russ has 203, and could put up more as he’s still playing a prominent role with the Kings.
Oscar Robertson also stands between the two, with 181, but that number should be eclipsed by the Joker before the end of the calendar year.
Though he has made this look ordinary, it shouldn’t be taken for granted. Jokic needs to be appreciated for what he’s doing, and if this keeps up, he deserves another MVP award. Voter fatigue be damned, people are going to miss this when it’s gone, and they should make sure to properly recognize the history we are witnessing in the moment.