Serbian basketball player Nikola Jokić finished the regular part of the NBA season with an average of 29.8 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 10.3 assists per game.
Behind Jokić is a historic season during which he broke many records and surpassed numerous NBA legends on the all-time list.
The popular “Joker” is the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double over an entire season, joining Oscar Robertson and teammate Russell Westbrook.
On March 8, in a game between the Denver Nuggets and the Phoenix Suns, Jokić recorded a triple-double with 31 points, 21 rebounds, and 22 assists, becoming only the second player in history to achieve a 20-20-20 stat line.
At the beginning of the season, he had consecutive games with over 40 points – a feat previously accomplished in a Denver Nuggets jersey only by Carmelo Anthony back in 2009.
In his second game of the season, Jokić scored 41 points in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, and then followed it up with a 40-point performance against the Toronto Raptors.
In a double-overtime game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jokić recorded 61 points, along with 10 assists and 10 rebounds, setting a personal record for most points in a game and also achieving the highest-scoring triple-double in NBA history.
The “Joker” also became the center with the most triple-doubles in a single NBA season – 34.
By March 26, Jokić had recorded his 30th triple-double of the season, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain’s record.
The Serbian center also became the fastest NBA player to reach 15,000 points, 7,500 rebounds, and 5,000 assists – accomplishing the feat in just 709 games, compared to Larry Bird, who needed 90 more games to reach the same milestone.
In addition, on April 7, Jokić became the first player in NBA history to record 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 500 assists in a single season.
He is also the first player to average 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists while shooting 60 percent from the field.
Despite this historic season, Jokić currently ranks second in the race for a new MVP title. The main reason for this is the poor performance by his team, which finished the regular season in fourth place in the Western Conference.
Source: srna.rs
