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The 2020-21 campaign officially marked the 75th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and thus far, it's been a unique one, to say the least. Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the regular season was cut down to 72 games, a departure from the typical 82-game regular season.
While most NBA teams have allowed fans into their home arenas, they've done so at limited capacity. And as of now, no team will be allowed to operate with a full house at any point during the rest of the season, including playoffs.
But the saying goes, 'The show must go on', and this season has been no exception. Despite the pandemic situation, we have witnessed some of the NBA's premier stars accomplish historical feats.
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On that note, let's take a look at five NBA superstars who've broken multiple records this season.
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#5 2020-21 NBA: Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans)
Even though he's only in his second season and has played 85 regular-season games, Zion Williamson is arguably the most physically imposing player in today's NBA.
What makes Williamson so renowned among his NBA peers is not solely because he possesses unworldly athleticism and strength. It's the fact that he knows how and when to channel those intangibles to benefit his team. Thus, it has taken him only two seasons for the 6' 7", 284-pound phenom to become an All-Star starter.
Unfortunately, the New Orleans Pelicans announced four days ago that Williamson would be out indefinitely due to a fractured left ring finger. So we may have already seen Zion Williamson play his final game of what has been an outstanding sophomore season. He has averaged 27 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting an ultra-efficient 61.1% from the field.
In 61 games this season, Williamson has provided an ample amount of head-turning moments. On January 19th, 2021, against 2x Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert and the Utah Jazz, Williamson scored 32 points on 73% shooting. That made him the youngest player in NBA history to drop 30+ points on at least 70% field goal percentage in consecutive games.
Only two months later, on the 23rd of March, against the visiting defending NBA champions LA Lakers, Williamson scored 27 points. That marked his 21st- straight 20-point game, breaking Luka Doncic and LeBron James' previous record of most consecutive 20-point games by a player before their 21st birthday.
#4 Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat)
Depending on who you ask, the defending Eastern Conference champions Miami Heat, who currently sit in sixth place in the East with a 37-31 record, have either underachieved or overachieved given their injury-marred/ COVID-related woes earlier this season. Nevertheless, one narrative that isn't ambiguous is the fact that Jimmy Butler has had a phenomenal year.
So far this season, the 5x All-Star from Tomball, Texas, is averaging 21.6 points, seven rebounds, 7.2 assists and 2.1 steals per. The rebounds, assists and steals numbers are all career-highs. Butler's tally of 2.1 steals per game is also a league-high; in fact, he's currently the only player in the NBA who is averaging over two steals per outing.
Along the way, Butler has notched up a couple of firsts in the NBA and Miami Heat history to highlight his stellar tenth season in the competition. Let's have a look at three such records Butler has been a part of this season.
On February 18th, 2021, in a road matchup against the Sacramento Kings, Jimmy Butler posted 13 points, ten rebounds and 13 assists during a 118-100 victory. That made him the first player in Heat history to record three consecutive triple-doubles.
Additionally, in the same game, teammate Bam Adebayo recorded a triple-double. That made Butler and Adebayo the first duo in NBA history to record triple-doubles in the same game multiple times; the pair also did so against the Atlanta Hawks on December 10, 2019.
Moving forward to May 2nd, 2021, during a road matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, Butler picked up his 100th steal of the season. With that achievement, he joined James Harden as only the second active player to nab 100+ steals in eight consecutive NBA seasons.
#3 Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
Nikola Jokic, Denver's 6' 11" supremely-skilled Serbian superstar big man, is currently the odds-on favorite to become the first Nuggets player ever to win the NBA's Most Valuable Player of the Year award, and it's easy to see why.
In 68 games this season, Jokic is almost averaging a triple-double with 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 1.4 steals (All-Team and career-highs) while shooting at 56.6% from the field, 40.2% behind the arc and 86.3% from the free-throw line. Furthermore, Jokic is currently the only player who ranks within the Top 10 in points (T-10th), rebounds (9th) and assists (6th) per game this campaign.
What Jokic is doing offensively this season is utterly absurd and indicates how special he truly is. Here are a couple of records Jokic has broken this season.
On December 29th, 2020, in a 115-125 road loss against the Sacramento Kings, Jokic tallied 26 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists, earning his 44th career triple-double. That helped him set a record for the most triple-doubles in franchise history, as he passed Nuggets legend Fat Lever. Jokic took a mere 385 regular-season games to break the record, while it took Lever 474 games to reach that landmark.
A little over a month later, on February 6th, 2021, Jokic once again torched the Kings in Sacramento with a career-high 50 points and 12 assists. That made him the first center since the three-pointer was integrated (1979-80 season) to record 50+ points and 10+ assists in a single game.
Finally, on April 4th, 2021, in a home matchup against the Orlando Magic, Jokic recorded 17 points, nine rebounds and 16 assists. That marked his 81st career game with ten or more assists, placing him ahead of the late great Wilt Chamberlain for the most 10+ assist games by a center in NBA history.
#2 Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
For better or worse, Stephen Curry's transcendent sharpshooting prowess has single-handily revolutionized and changed the way NBA players play today. Based on that statement, it shouldn't be a shock to see that Curry has set and broken multiple historic Golden State Warriors and NBA records this season.
While the league's first-ever unanimous MVP has broken numerous records all year long, Curry's most scorching-hot stretch of basketball came during the month of April.
Last month, Curry averaged 37.3 points while shooting at 51.8% from the field, 46.6% behind the arc and 90.8% at the charity stripe. Additionally, during the month of April, Curry posted one-50+ point game, five 40+ point games, 13 30+ games and four games with at least 10+ three-pointers.
Amidst this stretch, Curry achieved a plethora of historical feats. He surpassed Wilt Chamberlain to become the Warriors' franchise leader in total points (17,784). He broke Kobe Bryant's record for the most 30+ point games (13) in one month by a player 33 years or older.
Curry also broke the record for the most threes in a month (96), most seasons with at least 200 or more threes (8), most three-pointers in a three-game span (29) and most three-pointers in a ten-game span (72). In the process, he became the first player ever to hit ten or more threes in consecutive games thrice during his career.
#1 Russell Westbrook (Washington Wizards)
Similar to Curry in the point guard position, Russell Westbrook's transcendent style of play has, for better or worse, changed the way current NBA players play the game. Curry's playing style has changed players' perspective on the three-point shot, while Westbrook has done so with the triple-double.
Russell Westbrook is undoubtedly one of the most polarizing and enigmatic stars in NBA history. Throughout his career, Westbrook has always been in the crosshairs of the NBA fanbase. One side seems to fiercely laud him, while the other sharply criticizes him.
Nevertheless, both sides tend to agree on the fact that when Westbrook is on the hardwood, he's always going to lay it all out on the line and give his 110% effort. Westbrook's imperious exploits have been one of the main factors why the Washington Wizards have gone 15-5 in their last 20 games and sit in 10th spot in the East.
During that 20-game stretch, Mr Triple Double posted 17 triple-doubles. That run ensured he would average a triple-double this season, marking the fourth time he has accomplished the feat in the past five NBA seasons.
During that stretch, Westbrook concluded the month of April with the most triple-doubles in NBA history in a month (14). That made him the first player to record multiple triple-doubles against all 30 NBA teams, the first player to have multiple triple-doubles with 20+ rebounds and 20+ assists and the first player to record 50+ rebounds and 50+ assists in a three-game span.
Two nights ago, in a crucial overtime win against the Indiana Pacers on the road, Westbrook recorded 33 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists. In the process, he picked up his 181st career-triple double. That placed him in a tie with the legendary Hall of Famer, Oscar "Big O" Robertson for the NBA's All-Time Triple-Double record.
Tonight on the road against the Atlanta Hawks, Russell Westbrook eclipsed Oscar Robertson's 59-year record and became the new leader for most career triple-doubles.
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