Yesterday was the 100th day of the 2024-25 NBA season, so I thought it would be a good time to examine some of the notable performances and trends we’ve seen thus far.
Leaders & Best
The leaders in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, double-doubles, and triple-doubles are:
PTS — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 1,463
REB — Domantas Sabonis, 640
AST — Trae Young, 491
STL — Dyson Daniels, 131
BLK — Victor Wembanyama, 153
DD2 — Domantas Sabonis, 42
TD3 — Nikola Jokic, 21
The leaders in PPG, RPG, APG, SPG, and BPG are:
PPG — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 32.5
RPG — Domantas Sabonis, 14.5
APG — Trae Young, 11.4
SPG — Dyson Daniels, 3.1
BPG — Victor Wembanyama, 3.9
The leaders in field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage, and free throw percentage are:
FG% — Walker Kessler, 73.3%
3P% — Luke Kennard, 49.0%
FT% — Stephen Curry, 93.5%
The single-game bests for points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and game score are:
PTS — De’Aaron Fox, 60 (Nov. 15, 2024)
REB — Domantas Sabonis, 28 (Jan. 10, 2025)
AST — Trae Young, 22 (Nov. 27, 2024)
STL — Dyson Daniels and Kelly Oubre Jr., 8 (Dec. 23, 2024 and Dec. 30, 2024)
BLK — Victor Wembanyama, 10 (Dec. 21, 2024)
Game Score — Giannis Antetokounmpo, 54.2 (Nov. 13, 2024)
Joker and the Thief
Nikola Jokic leads the league with 21 triple-doubles this season. The only players in NBA history with more triple-doubles through the first 100 days of a season are Oscar Robertson (30, 1961-62) and Russell Westbrook (24, 2016-17).
Jokic is averaging 29.7 PPG (third in the league), 12.9 RPG (third), and 10.1 APG (second) in 41 games this season. The only other players in NBA history to average a triple-double through the first 100 days of a season are Westbrook (three times) and Robertson (twice).
Dyson Daniels leads the NBA in steals by a wide margin, 131 versus 92 for runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The last player to record at least 131 thefts through the first 100 days of a season was Chris Paul in 2010-11 (also 131, but in nine more games).
Daniels’ average of 3.1 steals per games is the highest 100-day rate since Alvin Robertson in 1990-91 (3.4). Daniels has recorded three or more steals in 25 games, nine more than any other player this season. The last player to reach that mark through 100 days was Paul in 2008-09 (27).
I’m Wemby, Dammit
Victor Wembanyama has made 125 threes and blocked 153 shots this season. No other player in NBA history has recorded 125 of each through the first 100 days of a season. In fact, no other player has even reached 100 in each category after 100 days.
Wembanyama has made multiple threes and blocked multiple shots in 29 games this season, nine more such games than any other player in NBA history at the 100-day mark. That’s already the third-highest single-season total in league history, trailing only himself last season (36 such games) and Brook Lopez in 2018-19 (30).
Wembanyama has recorded at least eight blocks in a game five times this season, a mark that has only been reached by one other player (Donovan Clingan). The last player to produce five such games through the first 100 days of a season was Shawn Bradley in 1996-97.
From Way Downtown…Bang
Anthony Edwards has made a league-leading 192 threes this season. Only two players in NBA history have made more 3-pointers through the first 100 days of a season: Stephen Curry (four times) and James Harden (twice).
Edwards is one of 21 players to make at least 125 threes this season. No other season in NBA history has produced more than 17 such players through the first 100 days.
The Boston Celtics are making an average of 17.8 threes on 48.6 attempts per game. Both are the highest such figures in NBA history by a team through the first 100 days of a season. The Celtics have made 15 or more 3-pointers in 38 of their 48 games.
The Denver Nuggets rank last in the league in 3-point tries, averaging 31.0 attempts per game. That figure would have led the NBA in each of the first 35 seasons the 3-pointer was used.
So far this season, 3-pointers account for 42.2% of all field goals attempted in the NBA, the highest such figure in history through a season’s first 100 days. The previous mark of 40.1% was set in 2021-22.
Leastern Conference
Western Conference teams have a record of 136-103 (.569) versus Eastern Conference teams this season, with an average differential of plus-2.7 points per game. Coming into this season, the West had won the interconference battle in 22 of the previous 25 seasons.
There are 11 teams in the West with a winning record compared to just five in the East. Six teams have lost more than two-thirds of their games; four of them play in the East.
Seven of the NBA’s bottom 10 teams by average point differential reside in the East. The East’s Washington Wizards rank dead last with an average point differential of minus-14.7, the second-worst such figure in NBA history by a team through the first 100 days of a season. The Wizards have lost 18 games by 20 or more points, tied with the 1970-71 Cleveland Cavaliers (an expansion team) for the most such losses in league history by a team at the 100-day mark.
Hardware
Here are my picks for the NBA’s major awards 100 days into the season.
Most Valuable Player: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Jokic has been phenomenal, but Gilgeous-Alexander has been almost as productive leading the team with the West’s best record. He’s averaging 32.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 6.0 APG, 2.0 SPG, and 1.0 BPG with 52.8/35.0/90.4 shooting splits in 45 games. A factor: Jokic has missed six games (which doesn’t sound like much, but accounts for almost 13% of Denver’s season), while Gilgeous-Alexander has only missed one.
Defensive Player of the Year: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
An All-Defensive First Team selection as a rookie, Wembanyama has been even better in his sophomore season. He’s the league leader by wide margins in blocks (153, 63 more than second place) and blocks per game (3.9, 1.5 more), and has recorded multiple blocks in 35 of his 39 contests. The Spurs have a defensive rating of 111.7 with Wembanyama on the court (which would rank eighth in the NBA) versus 119.3 with him off (which would rank 29th), a difference of 7.6 points per 100 possessions.
Rookie of the Year: Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies
The ninth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Edey is averaging 9.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 1.2 BPG despite playing less than 21 minutes per game. He’s shooting 58.0% from the field, the top mark among qualified rookies.
Most Improved Player: Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
The 23-year-old Mobley is averaging a career-high 18.1 PPG thanks mainly to his greatly improved 3-point shooting. He’s hitting 40.5% of his shots from beyond the arc, already establishing new single-season highs for 3-pointers made (45, almost double his previous best) and attempted (111). Mobley is also making a career-high 75.6% of his free throw attempts.
Sixth Man of the Year: De’Andre Hunter, Atlanta Hawks
Hunter has been a reserve in 31 of his 33 games, averaging 19.1 PPG on 46.1/39.4/85.4 shooting splits (those figures include all games). He’s come off the bench to score at least 20 points 17 times this season, the most such games in the NBA.
Coach of the Year: Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers were good last season under J.B. Bickertsaff (48-34), but Atkinson has taken them to another level, posting 38 wins in their first 47 games. After ranking 18th in the NBA with an offensive rating of 115.2 last season, Cleveland now boasts the league’s most potent offense (122.0). There’s been little slippage defensively, as the Cavaliers ranked sixth in defensive rating last season (112.7) and are ninth this season (112.1).
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