Stat Stories: Episode 23 — Second to One

The Best Seasons That Didn’t Win NBA MVP

Is it actually possible for Russell Westbrook to average a triple-double and still not win the NBA MVP? It wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened, as Chad Shanks and Justin Kubatko explain as they find the best individual performances that somehow didn’t earn a trophy.

Listen to the embedded audio and browse through the StatMuse stats mentioned in the episode (data accurate as of the date of publication).

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At the time of this writing, Russell Westbrook is all but certain to become the second player ever to average a triple-double in a season, yet due to his inefficiency, his team’s record and James Harden’s similarly phenomenal performance, he’s not a shoe-in for the 2016–17 NBA MVP. Coincidentally, when Oscar Robertson averaged a triple-double in 1961–62, he came in third place in the MVP voting behind Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain.

Who was the last player with 10+ PPG, 10+ RPG and 10+ APG in a season?

Chamberlain may have had an even greater claim to the award since his 50.4 PPG that season still stands as the highest ever and his 25.7 RPG is the third-highest ever.

Who has the highest PPG in a season?

Who has the highest RPG in a season?

Another hotly-contested three-man MVP race occurred 11 seasons later when Dave Cowens took the crown from Nate Archibald, who was the only player to ever lead the league in points and assists, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was the last player to finish a season with a 30/15/5 average.

Who had the highest PPG in 1972–73?

Who had the highest APG in 1972–73?

Who was the last player with at least 30 PPG, 15 RPG and 4.9 APG in a season?

Also, the player who came closest to averaging a triple-double in the 53-year gap between Robertson and Westbrook — Magic Johnson in 1981–82 — also didn’t take home the MVP trophy since Moses Malone chose to put up numbers that haven’t been matched since.

Who was the last player with 9 or more RPG and 9 or more APG in a season?

Who was the last player with 30+ PPG and 12+ RPG in a season?

Even Michael Jordan was denied the award in 1988–89 despite posting the highest PPG ever by a player in a season with at least 8 RPG and 8 APG.

Who has the highest PPG in a season with at least 8 RPG and 8 APG?

Sources/Further Research:

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