NBA

5 NBA Stats to Know Through Week 14

Russell Westbrook is posting triple doubles at a high rate, but can he catch the all-time greats?

NBA teams, 14 weeks into the season, are finding playing time for deeper bench players because of injuries or other dynamics.

The Phoenix Suns are a good example, as they’ve just undergone a coaching change in the last day or so and have also been decimated by injuries to their stars like Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight. This has given us a chance to see Markieff Morris again (who’s apparently out of the dog house with the new coach, Earl Watson) and young guys like Devin Booker.

As teams start to look toward next year and more injuries occur, we're likely to start seeing other younger players given a chance as well.

Here are five things to know after 14 weeks in the NBA.

1. Draymond Green, Russell Westbrook and Rajon Rondo have combined for 21 triple doubles this year

This is nothing new for Russell Westbrook (seven triple doubles this season) and Rajon Rondo (five triple doubles this season), as they have 53 career triple doubles combined. However, Draymond Green only had one triple double during his rookie year but has now become the wizard of Oracle Arena with nine triple doubles this season.

Over the past 32 NBA seasons, per Basketball Reference, the player with the most career triple doubles is Jason Kidd (107). Rondo is in his ninth season, and Westbrook is in his eighth. They have 27 and 26 career triple doubles, respectively. Draymond Green has 10 for his career and is only in his fourth season. If Green continues performing like he has during his second season, it gives him a chance at overtaking Jason Kidd at 107. However, it would take some serious work to catch the all-time leader in triple doubles -- Oscar Robertson with 181.

2. The Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs are both undefeated at home

The best single season home record of all time is held by the 1985-86 Boston Celtics, who went 40-1 and won an NBA championship. This season, we have the luxury of two teams being undefeated at home over halfway through the season. The Golden State Warriors are 22-0, and the San Antonio Spurs are 26-0. 

Neither is bad on the road either at 22-4 for the Warriors and 14-8 for the Spurs. At this point, it looks like you cannot win the Western Conference championship without playing one or both of these teams in a seven-game series. Clearly, their respective home court advantage will be huge in any playoff series.

3. DeMarcus Cousins is averaging 31 points per game over his last nine games

DeMarcus Cousins is having a monster season overall, averaging 27 points per game, 11.3 rebounds per game and 1.4 blocks per game. However, he’s raised the bar even further by averaging 31 points per game, 12.9 rebounds per game, 3.6 assists per game, 1.7 blocks per game and 1.2 steals per game over his last nine games. It doesn’t seem like much of a stretch to argue that he should be starting the NBA All-Star game.

However, for now, he’ll have to be content as a reserve for the Western Conference All-Star team. The other positive for the Sacramento Kings is that they’re still in the conversation for the playoffs this season (two games back of the eighth spot), and Cousins is playing a large part in their improved play.

4. Andre Drummond and DeAndre Jordan are both shooting less than 43% from the free throw line

Andre Drummond and DeAndre Jordan are in a race to the bottom with respect to free throw shooting. They could end up being the worst free throw shooters in NBA history. The overarching problem is that both take a considerable number of free throws -- Drummond takes 7.8 free throws per game and Jordan takes 7.7 free throws per game -- but each is equally horrendous at making them: Drummond (36.4%) and Jordan (42.5%). 

The saddest part in all of this is that Jordan is actually above his career percentage of 41.9% and well above last season’s number of 39.7%. Drummond, however, seems to be trending in the opposite direction. His career free throw percentage is 38.1%, and he’s managed to hit only 34.6% this season. They both seem on the verge of replacing Ben Wallace and Chris Dudley, career 41.4% and 45.8% free throw shooters, as the worst free throw shooters in NBA history. One would think that this problem could be fixed.

5. Jeff Green has scored 104 points in his last four games.

Jeff Green has been having his typically solid season for the Memphis Grizzlies averaging 12.1 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game and 1.8 assists per game. However, over his last four games, he’s averaged 26 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 63% from the field.

He’s also been more prominent on the floor, increasing his minutes to 31 per game. The Grizzlies are also 4-0 during the past four games and have really started to play well as a team. They are 8-2 over their last 10 games.