Sports Reference Blog
Russ & Harden’s Oscar-Worthy Performances
Posted by Mike Lynch on January 5, 2017
We all know Oscar Robertson became the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double when he averaged 30.8 PPG, 12.5 RPG and 11.4 APG in 1961-62. Though he didn't have the benefit of first-class air travel, modern nutrition and training techniques, he did have the benefit of playing for a team that averaged an estimated 124.9 possessions per game, while playing over 44 minutes per game. Though I don't want to diminish the stamina required to perform at a high level at such a frenetic pace, the point stands that there were more opportunities for a player to accumulate counting stats in 1962 than there are in 2017, where the average game has about 96 possessions.
Still, even if we adjust statistics to a Per 100 Possessions basis, few have ever matched Oscar's production. Robertson averaged an estimated 26.7 Pts, 10.8 Reb & 9.9 Ast per 100 possessions in 1961-62. At Basketball-Reference, we have estimated per 100 possessions statistics for every player back to 1973-74 (when the advent of tracking of offensive rebounds, among other stats, made the estimates more reliable). From 1973-74 to 2015-16, a total of just four player seasons (by three players) matched The Big O's Per 100 Possession statistics. They were by do-it-all forwards Grant Hill & LeBron James (twice) and then Russell Westbrook, last season. But, now, the 2016-17 NBA season has TWO players doing that. Russell Westbrook, in his most ridiculous form yet, and James Harden, who has emerged as the perfect player for Mike D'Antoni's relentless attack. But it's not that these guys are matching Robertson's production. They're obliterating it.
Let's first consider Westbrook's numbers.
- 44.1 Points Per 100 Possessions: This is a number that Michael Jordan only topped once!
- 15.0 Rebounds Per 100 Possessions: This is a number which matches Karl Malone's best!
- 14.9 Assists Per 100 Possessions: This is more than Jason Kidd ever averaged!
And yet, saying that Westbrook is like a combination of peak Jordan's scoring with peak Malone's rebounding and peak Kidd's passing doesn't even do justice to how breathtaking his level of activity on the floor is.
As for Harden, the numbers aren't as eye-popping as Westbrook's, but his scoring and rebounding are roughly equivalent to peak LeBron James, except with 50% more assists thrown in. So, I guess that's pretty decent.
Per 100 Possessions | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | Season | Age | Tm | Lg | PTS | TRB | AST |
James Harden | 2016-17 | 27 | HOU | NBA | 37.8 | 10.9 | 15.9 |
Russell Westbrook | 2016-17 | 28 | OKC | NBA | 44.1 | 15.0 | 14.9 |
Russell Westbrook | 2015-16 | 27 | OKC | NBA | 33.9 | 11.3 | 15.1 |
LeBron James | 2012-13 | 28 | MIA | NBA | 37.5 | 11.2 | 10.1 |
LeBron James | 2008-09 | 24 | CLE | NBA | 40.8 | 10.9 | 10.4 |
Grant Hill | 1996-97 | 24 | DET | NBA | 30.9 | 13.0 | 10.5 |
Rk | Player | Tm | W/L% | eFG% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS | Prob% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | James Harden | HOU | .750 | .528 | .847 | 8.2 | 11.9 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 5.7 | 28.4 | 57.6% |
2 | Kevin Durant | GSW | .861 | .594 | .868 | 8.6 | 4.7 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 25.8 | 16.1% |
3 | LeBron James | CLE | .765 | .559 | .683 | 7.8 | 8.5 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 3.9 | 25.8 | 8.8% |
4 | Russell Westbrook | OKC | .583 | .462 | .821 | 10.5 | 10.5 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 5.3 | 30.9 | 5.2% |
5 | Stephen Curry | GSW | .861 | .575 | .929 | 4.3 | 5.8 | 1.7 | 0.1 | 2.8 | 24.2 | 3.0% |
6 | Kawhi Leonard | SAS | .800 | .530 | .918 | 5.9 | 3.1 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 24.0 | 2.9% |
7 | Chris Paul | LAC | .632 | .543 | .877 | 5.3 | 9.5 | 2.2 | 0.2 | 2.3 | 17.7 | 1.9% |
8 | Kyle Lowry | TOR | .676 | .585 | .854 | 4.9 | 7.1 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 2.9 | 22.2 | 1.6% |
9 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | MIL | .529 | .559 | .779 | 9.1 | 5.8 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 23.9 | 1.5% |
10 | Kevin Love | CLE | .765 | .534 | .872 | 10.9 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 21.8 | 1.3% |
Westbrook is not a particularly good passer. He leaves his feet when he passes and uses deception rarely. That's why his turnovers are so high. He accumulates a lot of assists anyway because he dominates the ball so much. Really, nobody else is allowed to create on that team except for him, at least while he's on the floor.