50 Days In
Some notable performances through the first 50 days of the 2025-26 NBA season.
Yesterday was the 50th day of the 2025-26 NBA season, so it seems like 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, 754
REB — Nikola Jokic, 282
AST — Nikola Jokic, 253
STL — Dyson Daniels, 54
BLK — Jay Huff, 59
DD2 — Nikola Jokic, 21
TD3 — Nikola Jokic, 11
The leaders in PPG, RPG, APG, SPG, and BPG are:
PPG — Luka Doncic, 35.0
RPG — Nikola Jokic, 12.3
APG — Nikola Jokic, 11.0
SPG — Cason Wallace, 2.3
BPG — Jay Huff, 2.5
The leaders in field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage, and free throw percentage are:
FG% — Rudy Gobert, 73.6%
3P% — Tari Eason, 50.9%
FT% — Kawhi Leoanrd, 97.2%
The single-game bests for points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and game score are:
PTS — Three-way tie, 55: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oct. 23), Nikola Jokic (Nov. 12), and James Harden (Nov. 22)
REB — Andre Drummond, 24 (Nov. 23)
AST — Two-way tie, 18: Cade Cunningham (Nov. 1) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Nov. 14)
STL — Four-way tie, 7: Marcus Smart (Nov. 10), Jalen Johnson (Nov. 13), Mikal Bridges (Nov. 14), and Jeremiah Fears (Nov. 14)
BLK — Victor Wembanyama, 9 (Oct. 24)
Game Score — Nikola Jokic, 53.2 (Nov. 12)
We’re Going Streaking
Some significant streaks that either ended or are still active through the first 50 days of the 2025-26 season:
LeBron James’ NBA-record streak of 1,297 regular season games with 10 or more points was halted on Dec. 4. It’s the longest such streak in league history by a whopping 431 games over Michael Jordan.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 95 regular season games, the second-longest such streak in NBA history. The record run of 126 such games in a row is held by Wilt Chamberlain.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored at least 20 points with 50% shooting from the field in each of his first 14 games, the longest such streak to open a season in NBA history. The streak came to an end on Nov. 17 when he had to depart the game in the second quarter with an injury.
Victor Wembanayma has blocked at least one shot in 97 straight games, the third-longest such streak since the NBA began tracking blocks in 1973-74. He hasn’t appeared in a game since Nov. 14 due to a calf injury.
Dyson Daniels saw his streak of 70 consecutive games with at least one steal come to an end on Nov. 25. It’s the fourth-longest such streak since the NBA began tracking steals in 1973-74.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have won their last 15 games, matching the longest winning streak in franchise history. They also posted 15 straight wins last season (Dec. 3, 2024 to Jan. 5, 2025).
The Detroit Pistons won 13 consecutive games from Oct. 29 to Nov. 24, tying the longest such streak in franchise history. They also recorded 13-game winning streaks in the 1989-90 and 2003-04 seasons, both of which ended with an NBA championship.
The New Orleans Pelicans dropped 13 games in a row from April 2 to Nov. 2, 2025, matching the longest losing streak in franchise history. They also lost 13 straight games from Nov. 23 to Dec. 17, 2019.
The Cleveland Cavaliers broke the NBA record for most consecutive games with 10 or more 3-pointers made. The streak reached 110 games before coming to an end on Dec. 5.
The Chicago Bulls scored at least 110 points in 42 straight games from Feb. 12 to Nov. 19, 2025, the second-longest such streak in NBA history.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have scored at least 100 points in each of their last 82 regular season games, the fifth-longest such streak in NBA history.
No Joke
Nikola Jokic leads the league with 11 triple-doubles. The only players in NBA history to record more triple-doubles through the first 50 days of a season are Oscar Robertson (15, 1961-62) and Russell Westbrook (12, 2016-17).
Jokic is averaging 29.2 PPG, 12.3 RPG, and 11.0 APG in 23 games played. The only other players in league history to average a triple-double through the first 50 days of a season are Robertson (1961-62), Westbrook (2016-17), and Jokic himself (2024-25).
Points-a-Palooza
The average team is scoring 116.6 PPG, the highest such figure through 50 days since the 1961-62 season (118.1). The league effective field percentage is 54.5%, surpassing the previous 50-day mark of 54.1% set in 2023-24.
The Denver Nuggets lead the way with a scoring average of 125.0 PPG, one of five teams averaging at least 120 PPG. The only season with more such teams through 50 days is the 2023-24 campaign with six.
Eight different players have produced a 50-point game, tying the 2018-19 season for the most such players through 50 days. Players have scored 40 or more points in a game 52 times, eight more such games than any other season through 50 days.
That’s Offensive
The league offensive rebound percentage is 26.2%, the highest such figure through 50 days since the 2012-13 season (27.1%). That continues a trend that started last season, when the league recorded its highest offensive rebound percentage (25.2%) since the 2013-14 campaign (25.5%).
The Houston Rockets lead the NBA in offensive rebound percentage at 38.0%, a rate that’s 6.5 percentage points higher than any other team. The last team to post an offensive rebound percentage as high or higher through 50 days was the Dallas Mavericks in 1995-96 (38.2%). Those Mavericks couldn’t shoot straight, with a 50-day field goal percentage that was seven percentage points below the Rockets’ current mark (41.7% versus 48.7%).
Tankathon
Seven teams have won less than 30% of their games (fewer than 25 wins over an 82-game schedule), matching the 2012-13 season for the most such teams through 50 days:
New Orleans Pelicans, 3-22 (.120)
Washington Wizards, 3-19 (.136)
Indiana Pacers, 6-18 (.250)
LA Clippers, 6-18 (.250)
Sacramento Kings, 6-18 (.250)
Brooklyn Nets, 6-17 (.261)
Charlotte Hornets, 7-17 (.292)
The Washington Wizards own a point differential of minus-15.9 PPG, the third-worst figure in NBA history through the first 50 days of a season. That is actually an improvement over last season, when they posted the worst 50-day point differential ever (minus-16.2 PPG).
The Wizards are one of three teams with an average point differential of minus-10 PPG or worse, the others being the New Orleans Pelicans and the Sacramento Kings (each minus-10.6 PPG). The only other season to produce three such teams through 50 days is the 2023-24 campaign.
Hardware
Below are my picks for the NBA’s major awards at the 50-day mark.
Most Valuable Player: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Just like last season, this is an incredibly close race between Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Jokic ranks fifth in the NBA in scoring, first in rebounding, and first in assists. He’s been incredibly efficient, shooting 61.2% from the field (eighth in the league), 41.1% from 3-point range, and 85.5% from the free throw line. From a team standpoint, the Nuggets are tied with the Lakers for the second-best record in the Western Conference at 17-6.
Defensive Player of the Year: Cason Wallace, Oklahoma City Thunder
Wallace averages a league-leading 2.3 steals per game for a defense that is far and away the best in the NBA. The Thunder allow just 105.4 points per 100 possessions, the best defensive rating in the league by 6.5 points. That figure is 103.3 points per 100 possessions when Wallace is on the floor, 5.6 points better than when he is off.
Rookie of the Year: Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks
Flagg got off to a bit of a bumpy start, but the 18-year-old is averaging 17.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.3 APG, and 1.3 SPG in 24 games, shooting 47.5% from the field and 82.2% from the free throw line. Honorable mention to Kon Knueppel, who leads all rookies with a scoring average of 18.0 PPG on 45.9/40.3/90.9 shooting splits.
Most Improved Player: Alex Sarr, Washington Wizards
The Wizards are objectively terrible, which has obscured Sarr’s dramatic improvement. He’s averaging 19.1 PPG (+6.1 compared to last season), 8.6 RPG (+2.1), 3.3 APG (+0.9), and 2.0 BPG (+0.5) with only a minor uptick in playing time (+2.6 MPG). After shooting just 39.4% from the floor as a rookie, Sarr has significantly improved his field goal percentage to 51.5% in his sophomore campaign.
Sixth Man of the Year: Ajay Mitchell, Oklahoma City Thunder
Mitchell has come off the bench in 17 of his 23 games, averaging 14.4 PPG, 3.6 APG, and 1.5 SPG with a free throw percentage of 87.7%. He ranks second on the team in assists (87), steals (35), and free throws made (71).
Coach of the Year: J.B. Bickerstaff, Detroit Pistons
Guided by the steady hand of Bickerstaff, the Pistons own the best record in the Eastern Conference at 19-5, the third-best 24-game start in franchise history. They tied a franchise record by reeling off 13 straight wins from Oct. 29 to Nov. 24.
Fantastic breakdwon of the early season trends. The offensive rebound surge is realy intresting, especially Houston at 38% which basically mirrors pre-analytics era activity. Makes sense teams are attacking the glass harder now that threepoint variance has everyone chasing extra possessions.