Can LeBron James Average a Triple-Double?

With the Cavs getting off to a hot start through their first seven games, there have been a few statements made with the play of the team. One of the more popular things that people have said is that Kyrie Irving is continuing to mold his game into that of an MVP candidate. Another declaration that has been whispered is that LeBron James could possibly average a triple-double.

The Irving for MVP talk is completely plausible, after all, when a franchise drafts a player at number one overall, shouldn’t they expect that he does turn into an MVP caliber player (sorry, Anthony Bennett)? He is nearing his prime, and honestly, this type of talk should be something that accompanies him as he moves into this portion of his career.

The second statement is what I’m going to focus on. Is it really possible that James can average a triple double throughout an entire season? Keep in mind, this hasn’t been done in the NBA since Oscar Robertson’s 1961-62 campaign for the Cincinnati Royals. Robertson averaged 30.8 points per game to go with 11.4 assists and 12.5 rebounds. His second season in the league was the only time he accomplished the season average of a triple-double, although he did come extremely close in 1963-64 (31.4/9.9/11.0).

Sure, it’s possible for James to average a triple-double, but it certainly isn’t probable, and there are multiple reasons as to why that’s the case.

In the season where the Big O accomplished this he was on the floor for 44.3 minutes per game. That number is way higher than what James, or any other NBA player will come close to this season. For example, last season Rockets’ guard James Harden was the league leader in minutes per game with 38.1. This season Harrison Barnes of the Dallas Mavericks is leading the league early on with 38.7. Last season James finished in 12^th with 35.6 minutes per game and is currently ninth with 36.4 on this young season. Obviously, the season is only seven games old, but I would expect James’ average here to drop below what it was last season in order to save up for another lengthy playoff run. Even if it stays put where it is right now his total is nearly eight minutes less than the 44.3 that Robertson played.

With that being a fairly analytical breakdown of why it will not happen, an easier way to look at it is that the Cavaliers simply will not care about the regular season. The 82 game slate they have against the rest of the NBA is simply an extended preseason for the defending NBA champs. Whether they finish with the best record in the league or the third seed in the Eastern Conference they are still going to be the runaway favorites to match up with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals for the third consecutive year. There are going to be nights where the Cavalier faithful see James in ‘chill mode’ at times. The first half in Tuesday night’s loss to the Hawks is a prime example of that where James went 1-5 from the floor before exploding in the third quarter with 16 points.

James for the most part has been magnificent on this young season. He has won Eastern Conference Player of the Week twice and has the Cavs holding the NBA’s best record. While doing all that, he has not been averaging a triple-double. His line currently sits at 22.9 points per game, 8.9 boards, and 9.9 assists. Obviously, he will average double-digit points this season, as he has every single year of his career, but getting his assist and rebound numbers into double-digits will be quite the challenge for James. In fact, he has never gone an entire season averaging a double-double. The closest he came was in the last year of his first stint in Cleveland where he averaged 29.7 points and 8.6 dimes per contest.

If anyone in the league can average a triple-double for an entire season, James is the prime candidate. However, it seems as if this task is something unlikely, even for him.