Draymond Green and the non-history of non-point triple-doubles
Golden State Warriors linchpin Draymond Green made history Friday night by recording the NBA’s first-ever non-point triple-double.
Green’s line of 4 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals is impressive in its own right but its unprecedented nature makes it all that much more special. Green was only the second player in NBA history to post 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals, the last being Alvin Robertson during his famous quadruple-double over 30 years ago.
Also, Green’s five blocks made him the first player to record 10 steals and five blocks in a game since both were first tracked in 1973-74.
Non-point triple-double history
Digging into the history of non-point triple-doubles doesn’t unearth much.
There have been 56 10-point triple-doubles since 1984 with Jason Kidd leading the pack at seven. Lamar Odom is second all-time with three while Magic Johnson has only two of the 56 all-time 10-point triple-doubles. If we dig deeper and look for “almost” triple-doubles of the non-point variety, we get a microscopic sample, a testament to just how special Green’s performance was.
Ricky Rubio (December, 2015)
In December, 2015, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio collected 12 assists, 10 rebounds, 9 points, but only 8 steals.
Given that impressive line, nobody cared about Rubio’s potential for a non-point triple-double, instead focusing attention on Rubio coming close to the first quadruple-double since David Robinson’s monstrous 34 point, 10 rebound, 10 assist, 10 block performance in 1994:
Quadruple-Double History:
David Robinson (1994): 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 blocks
Hakeem Olajuwon (1990): 18 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists and 11 blocks
Alvin Robertson (1986): 20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals
Nate Thurmond (1974): 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocks
Rajon Rondo (March 2011)
In March 2011, Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo—as good a contender for the non-point triple-double as the NBA has ever seen—got oh so close with 11 assists, 11 rebounds, 6 points and 8 steals.
Like Rubio, follow-ups to the game didn’t focus on the almost non-point triple-double but instead the focus was on a key missed basket by Rondo in the game’s’ waning minutes.
Rondo—with the game on the line—opted for “an ill-advised” floater instead of passing the ball to Celtics hot-hand Paul Pierce:
"“It’s so easy to second-guess it now,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who didn’t call a timeout because he thought Rondo was going to pass it to Pierce. “I just think your best offensive player should always touch the ball on the last possession.” (ESPN)"
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Johnny Moore (1985)
Moore—then a member of the San Antonio Spurs—came close in January 15, 1985 dishing out 13 assists, grabbing 10 rebounds and scoring 9 points against the Utah Jazz. Moore just couldn’t get it done in the steals department swiping only seven.
That’s it. You won’t find any other instances of guys getting anywhere near a non-point triple-double. Utah Jazz big man Mark Eaton was five assists away from one in 1985 but at that point, what we doing here? We’re getting silly.
Green had a special night, an all-time great statistical line and another accolade on an increasingly impressive and unique resume for the Michigan State product.