Issue #18: Triple Doubles are Bad Now!
Today, we determine which players actually made their team worse with their pursuit of that controversial Triple Double.
Hello, my name is Colin. Welcome to the 18th issue of The Wood Report, an eclectic smorgasbord of sports “news” and humor.
Hockey playoffs, NBA playoffs, WNBA season starting, MLB is hot with no-hitters and homers galore, the PGA Championship. The list goes on and on. It’s a great time for sports, and prioritizing what to watch gets harder every day. But you know it’s gonna be fun no matter what you choose. Even better, in-person attendance is ramping up. I went to my first live basketball game of the year this week. It was an awful 144-117 blowout between two teams below .500. It was generally pretty brutal basketball. I loved every moment of it. Just being back in the stands, fully vaccinated, with a cold beer in my hands and a crowd reacting to the game. It felt amazing.
This Week’s Main Story
It’s the end of another NBA season, which means a special tradition can begin anew: argue that triple doubles are actually bad and Russell Westbrook averaging one for the season proves he’s a terrible player.
(It’s also a time for me to start working on my clickbait titles, is it working?)
Since the moment Westbrook won MVP in 2017 while averaging a triple double for the season, a growing group of dissenters has taken it upon themselves to prove the celebrated statistical milestone hurts the game and should never be praised. The discussion has been LOUD and CONSTANT. We can’t go 2 weeks without a new article popping up talking about how overrated it is to accomplish. Seriously, it’s hard to keep up with them all.
Triple-Doubles Are Bad For Basketball
The Most Overrated "Statistic " in Basketball | Psychology of the "Triple Double"
Is the triple-double overrated?
RUSSELL WESTBROOK IS THE MOST WORTHLESS PLAYER IN THE NBA
Why Don’t We Care About Westbrook’s Triple Doubles?
I think 5 articles is enough.
My favorite argument against triple doubles is that “10 is just an arbitrary number,” which like… yeah, sure it is. But so is every milestone number at that point. 4 minute mile time? Arbitrary. 2000 rushing yards? Arbitrary. 50 homers? Why not 49?
Moving on though, you should know by now this newsletter isn’t here to litigate whether triple doubles are good or bad. That’s a discussion best left to the Skip Baylesses of the world. No, here at the Wood Report we want to figure out something much sillier.
Regardless of how helpful individual triple doubles are to a team, there must logically be a triple double that helped the team the least (or hurt the team the most). Out of all 142 triple doubles scored in the 2021 season, one of them has to be the Worst Triple Double of the Year. That’s what we are going to find in this issue.
The Worst Triple Double of the Year
In 2021, 28 different players recorded a triple double, totaling 142 games. Obviously, the most prolific player in this category was Mr. Westbrook, who had 38 triple doubles for the Wizards, breaking Oscar Robertson’s record for career triple doubles in the process. It’s no surprise that over the course of those 38 games, Westbrook would cover the range of “good nights” and “bad nights”. He may get talked about more than once.
Who is actually the worst though? 10/10/10 isn’t easy to hit, but there are deeper factors to explore. Did they have the least amount of points? Did they compile enough stats amid an otherwise atrocious night of basketball? How do the analytics feel about all this?
Let’s get into the candidates. (Warning: There are some “highlight” videos accompanying some sections. I wanted to show some footage of the games, but those videos won’t show you the bad I’m talking about. No surprise, it’s hard to find lowlight videos of triple doubles.)
Doing the Bare Minimum
A Triple Double is most often thought of as a player recording the following stats in a single game: 10+ points, 10+ assists, and 10+ rebounds. Which means that a player getting exactly 10/10/10 is considered a triple double as much as a 36/15/16.
Domantas Sabonis knew this on March 4th during a game against the Denver Nuggets. Sabonis did no more and no less than what was needed. In the first half, he was awful, shooting 3 of 12 and never getting to the line. At half, he found himself with 6 points, 3 assists, 6 rebounds, and his team down by 9. As the best player on the team, Sabonis needed to step up and take control to win this game.
He immediately made an impact in the 3rd quarter with… 0 points (not even a shot attempt), 3 assists, and 1 rebound. In the 4th quarter, Indiana took a timeout with 5:22 left in the game while down 18. This was crunch time. Sabonis saw his stat line and saw the opportunity for a perfectly balanced statline. Over the next 4 minutes, he was involved all over the court. He grabbed 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 massive dunks to solidify a 10/10/10. The Pacers lost by 10.
What a performance. It was Sabonis’s 4 triple double of the 9 he had this season (5th most in the league).
When Your Shot is Just a Bit Off
Jayson Tatum had a rough day at the office against the Chicago Bulls on April 19th. While he managed a 14/10/13 triple double (the only one of his career), those numbers hide his horrid shooting performance that night. Of those 14 points, 7 came off free throws (6 in the 2nd half). The rest of the game, Tatum shot 3 for 17, a .176 FG%. That is the worst shooting percentage in a triple double this season. Going 1 for 7 in the 1st half didn’t dissuade him from attempting 10 shots in the 2nd half.
Did Tatum’s unwavering confidence in his scoring ability hurt his team? In the same game, Jaylen Brown was positively on fire. He went 10 for 15 from the field and 3 for 4 from deep. Across the team, 5 players were shooting over 50% from the field. In the last few minutes of a very close game, Tatum missed his last 4 shot attempts with 2 turnovers. His team lost by 6. Maybe that was the night to rack up a few more assists.
In a similar vein, John Wall was a guy that could not even fathom passing up a shot. In Wall’s only triple double of the season, he took 30 shots from the field and made just 8 of them, giving him the 3rd worst percentage in a triple double performance. It’s the most shots taken while shooting below 40% for the game. He also went 1 for 7 from 3-point range, something I’m sure Rocket’s fans have PTSD from.
Wall probably felt like he needed to be The Guy for that Rockets that night considering this was the lineup being rolled out by that point in the season:
Did this avalanche of bricks from Wall hurt Houston? The Rockets are undeniably in the “tanking at all costs” camp for the 2021 season. A night like this should play right into their plans. Unfortunately, even John Wall’s miss fest wasn’t enough, as they beat the Raptors 117-99.
The Advanced Stats Really Hate This Game
When we start digging into the advanced stats of triple doubles, there are 2 games that stand out as the worst, both from Russell Westbrook. The bottom 2 by both Game Score (a statistic that attempts to give a total perspective on a player’s statistical performance) and Box Plus Minus (a box score estimate of the points per 100 possessions a player contributed above a league-average player) are Westbrook on February 17th and Westbrook on April 1st.
In February, Westbrook finished the game with 12/12/13 with 2 steals and block. He also had 8 turnovers, 5 fouls, and shot just 5 of 15. He missed his last 5 shots with the Wizards leading by 10 (also 2 free throws) and got called for a technical foul. The Nuggets came back to tie the game with 2 seconds left. The Wizards only won because of a foul drawn by Bradley Beal with no time left on the clock (he nailed his 2 free throws). Westbrook had a Game Score of 8.5 and a Box +/- of -9.4, both the worst of our exercise.
Later in the season, Westbrook was on his own on April 1st. Bradley Beal did not dress for this game and the Wizards lost to the struggling Detroit Pistons by 29. Russell had a slightly better night with 16/12/11 on 7 of 16 shooting, but just 1 of 5 from three and 1 of 6 from the line, as well as 9 turnovers. A Game Score of 8.6 and Box +/- of -6.8 represent minor improvements from February, but both are 2nd worst of the season.
(Before you use this as evidence that Westbrook is terrible, it is my duty to point out that he also has 7 nights with a Game Score over 30, including the 2nd highest GS at 38.4. This is a balanced publication.)
It Took You How Long?
Let’s talk about how long a player had to play to even reach a triple double. Obviously, just by playing more, you have a much better opportunity to gather counting stats. If it takes you all game to reach the milestones, it’s slightly less impressive. If it takes more than a full game, that just feels like cheating. James Harden needed 2 overtimes to achieve his 2nd triple double with the Nets.
On January 20th against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the newly formed Brooklyn Nets had all their stars playing. Harden, Kevin Durant, Joe Harris, and Kyire Irving were all active. Still, a massive 42 point game by Collin Sexton pushed this game to 2OT. Harden started slow, with just 2 points in the 1st half. In the 2nd, he came alive and started scoring for his new team. He ended regulation with 17/9/8, not yet a triple double. He nailed the assists in the 1st extra period, but was still 1 rebound short to start the 2nd. He would grab that rebound 2 minutes in. In total, Harden played 51 minutes and needed 48 minutes to get the 10s across the board. The Nets lost to the Cavs by 12.
In contrast to Harden’s marathon, Nikola Jokic practically sprinted to a triple double, the first time he has been seen sprinting to anything. On May 14th versus the Piston, Jokic was out to prove he was the rightfully MVP. At the end of the 1st half, Jokic already had 13/9/9 in just 17:11 minutes played. He didn’t stop there, and just 3.5 minutes into the 3rd quarter, he had picked up the necessary assist and rebound, giving him a triple double in only 20:37 minutes of playing time. He played just 26 minutes total in the game, none in the 4th as his brilliance had put the game in hand by that point.
Unconventional Triple Doubles
Before we announce the winner, I’d like to first spotlight two triple doubles that did not take the traditional path. Clint Capela and TJ McConnell both achieved 10+ in 3 statistical categories without it being the standard points, assists, and rebounds. Capela did his with blocks, scoring 13 points, 19 points, and 10 blocks. McConnell had 16 points, 13 assists, and 10 steals. Both were the only time this season any player recorded 10 of their respective stats. Both teams won their game thanks to the efforts of the triple double (McConnell had a ridiculous Game Score of 32.6). Just wanted to inject some positivity about triple doubles into this issue.
Winner (or Loser?)
So which of these lovely, incredible triple doubles is the worst one? Which one should be held up as the gold standard for why stat hunting is bad and actually hugely detrimental to team success? For me, it comes down to Jayson Tatum vs Westbrook (the February 17th game). Both were effectively shooting their team out of the game while their All-Star teammates pulled against that anchor. Both took bad shots, late in the game when their team desperately needed any points. Tatum was successful in causing his team to fail, while Westbrook was bailed out at the last moment by Beal. Westbrook even gave points away on a tech.
My decision comes down to the fact that this was Tatum’s only triple double of the season. Westbrook’s style of play leads to plenty of triple double games (obviously), and so those should be expected to fall on a bell curve of results. Tatum played a different style that caused his team to lose. He’s normally a greater shooter, but getting involved more often when it’s not your night is a bad strategy. If you want to talk about those advanced stats, Tatum still had the 3rd worst Game Score and 4th worst Box +/-, so he wasn’t even much better than Westbrook from that perspective either.
Jayson Tatum had the worst triple double of the season.
Bonus: Ball vs Ball
Before we leave this topic, a quick 1 v 1 matchup. Both Ball brothers had exactly one triple double this season. Which one was better?
Lonzo went 16/12/12 in a loss to the Nuggets. His shooting was decent, 6 for 14 with 4 for 9 from deep. He added 4 steals and 2 blocks, but also 4 turnovers.
LaMelo had 22/11/12 in a win over the Hawks. He shot better than his brother with 9 for 13 from field, and 3 of 5 from three. He did all his damage while coming off the bench for the Hornets. And with this game, he became the youngest player in history to record a triple double at 19 years old. It’s a pretty easy choice here.
Advantage LaMelo.
Gold Medal – deGrom Gets Run Support
We have talked in space before about Jacob deGrom and the herculean efforts he puts forth for a Mets team that refuses to help him in any way. It’s sad to see him pitch gem after gem and yet the Mets flounder around, unable to put the bat on the ball. But on Thursday, the Mets finally rewarded deGrom for his efforts. Well… a Mets team, just not the one you expect.
While rehabbing a back injury suffered on May 9th, deGrom was sent to the St. Lucie Mets, the Low-A affiliate of the New York Mets. Jacob deGrom, he of 2 Cy Young awards and a 98.9 mph fastball average, was set to start a game against some of the youngest and most inexperienced players in the minor league system. The unlucky team on the other side was the Palm Beach Cardinals. It went just about as you would expect.
In 3 innings, deGrom struck out 8 batters and did not allow a hit. The only thing the Cardinals could do was beg for help on the internet.
Against major leaguers this year, the Mets pitcher has a 0.68 ERA and allows a batting average of .128. As a team, the PB Cardinals hit just .219 and have an average age of 21.1. This the sports equivalent of a car trapped on the tracks of an oncoming train.
The St. Lucie Mets won this game 7-0, and I’m just happy someone cares enough about deGrom to get him the runs he deserves.
Villain of the Week – No Hitters
A lot has been made of the number of no-hitters being thrown in 2021. Already this season we have seen 6 “official” no-hitters, just 1 behind the record for most in a season. It could be tied at 7 if MLB counted the 7-inning no-hitter thrown by Madison Bumgarner, but alas. There is definitely a major conversation to be had surrounding this phenomenon. It’s clear MLB deadened the ball after the recent years of juiced balls that led to an overwhelming amount of home runs. The thought was to put more balls in play, but has consequently led to domination by pitchers all over the league.
What I’d like to highlight though is that all 6 of those no-hitters have come against just 3 different teams. Cleveland, Seattle, and Texas have all failed to get a single hit in a game twice this year. Maybe there’s something to be done with the teams that are actively tanking and putting together non-competitive rosters to save money. Cleveland and Seattle have been pretty blatant about giving away talent or not playing the best players as service time manipulation. As a result, they are the two worst hitting teams in the league. Cleveland sits at a .213 batting average while Seattle is at a laughable .198 as a team. It doesn’t feel as weird that these teams continue to struggle at the plate.
Texas is a much better hitting team comparatively, but still below league average. And the Rangers never intended to compete this year, as evidenced by their 19-27 record, already 8 games behind the division leader. They also decided to not re-sign Corey Kluber this year, the man who just no hit them Wednesday night.
Fun Fact: the night he threw a no-hitter against them was Corey Kluber Bobblehead night at the Texas stadium. This was probably because of the excess stock of bobbleheads unable to be given away in 2020 when he was actually on the roster, but it’s just a hilarious coincidence.
While there is plenty of attention being brought to the declining batting average league wide and the rise of the 3 True Outcomes, I think we should give equal thought to figuring out how to keep teams from rolling out substandard rosters by design.
Is This How You Play?
Is this how you play basketball?
Is this how you score in the playoffs?
Is this how you get ejected from the game?
News by the Numbers
1 - Number of Triple Doubles I still need to talk about. On Tuesday, Sabrina Ionescu recorded the first triple double in New York Liberty history. She finished the game with 26 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds. She also hit the game winner as the Liberty took down the Fever to remain undefeated. She is the youngest player to record a triple double in WNBA history and she did it just her 6th career game.
2 - Number of games the Nashville Predators have lost so far in the NHL Playoffs. I had a whole section here about the Predators being bad and losing their 1st two playoff games by 3 goals, but then they went and won Game 3 in the 2nd OT. So the trash talk I wanted to present hits a bit weaker. It’s still funny I guess, so here you go.
13 - Number of 1 goal games in the NHL playoffs so far, in 22 total games. 9 of these games have gone to overtime and 2 have gone multiple OTs. It’s one of the reasons hockey playoffs are the most exciting (and most stressful for fans). The low scoring nature of the game makes every goal seem that much more important and every golden chance at an open net that much more tantalizing. Hopefully the rest of the 2021 playoffs follow this trend and we get tons of close games down the stretch.
14 - Margin of victory in the NBA Play-In Tournament. What’s more interesting is the difference between the two conferences. In just the East, the margin of victory was 24 points. In the West, the margin of victory was just 4 points, with 1 overtime game. The West was fun because we knew that the Lakers would be good and that Steph Curry is currently hotter than Death Valley and the Grizzlies had the ability to be a top notch team. The East was just a bunch of bad teams beating up on other bad teams in rather dull matchups. I’m not sure the Play-In is worth it at this point.
41 - Goals scored by Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews. He led the league in goals by 8, the spearhead on one of the best teams in the league. But according to this man, he sucks? I want to believe this is a troll, but the guy is an Edmonton fan, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was true. It would be one of the worst genuine hot takes of all time.
47.1 - Speed of the pitch Yermin Mercedes absolutely demolished for a (stupidly controversial) homer. It is the slowest pitch hit for a dinger since MLB started tracking in 2008.
Homer Bias Restricted Area
It’s playoff time for the Clippers! This defense is about to wreak havoc.
This man is ecstatic to have thrown a no-hitter.
Ohtani has enterws Homer Bias territory because if I could, I would talk about him constantly.
End Of Restricted Area
Thank you for reading this week’s Wood Report. End of season research is one of my favorite things to dig into. I have some ideas for a hockey section in the future if it pans out.
Don’t forget to like and subscribe, rant about triple doubles in the comment section, and send this to someone who loathes everything about Russell Westbrook.
Keep Sports Fun.
Colin
Twitter - @ColinRingwood12
The Buzzer Beater
Yo guys, calm the hell down.