NBA Triple-Double Leaders: 3 active players who can surpass Oscar Robertson in the long run

Oscar Robertson was one of those legends who put up monster numbers on a regular level. As a point guard playing in a league focused around big men, he broke records left, right and centre.

He put up a triple double average in 1962, becoming the first player to do so. He nearly averaged a career stat of 25.7 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game and 9.7 assists per game.

Given their age, position, longevity and statistics, here's a list of three active players who can break Robertson's career record of 181 career triple doubles. This list is small and exclusive:

1) Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook is the closest thing we have to Robertson's stats. The man averaged a triple-double stat line over the course of a season, broke the record for most triple-doubles in a season (42), won MVP and then turned around and did it again.

Westbrook has the drive to do stuff that's considered impossible. He has the only 50-point triple-double in a playoffs. He has also recorded the most 50-point triple-doubles in a season.

The man is 6'3 and grabs double digit rebounds regularly. There's no one that can do the sort of stuff he can do.

Armed with a shaky jumper and explosive athleticism, Westbrook is the ultimate team carrier. Teammates are an accessory to the Westbrookian philosophy, and his usage rate is an extreme number. The man has the ball in his hands more than Kobe Bryant.

It's an odd fact, but triple-doubles have been many things. Maybe they're irrelevant, excessively worshipped, stat-padding techniques. But whichever way people put it, everyone agrees they have never been as normal as they are for Westbrook.

This is the Westbrook experience; he'll average a ton of assists, grab a bunch of rebounds and still score a lot. But somehow he'll be lacking in some statistic that can't be quantified, like defensive impact, or moving the ball around effectively.

Westbrook's most glaring weakness would be off-the-ball movement on defense. His offense is very good, but he frequently gets lost on screens, and falls asleep in the paint far too often.

Nevertheless, he's the NBA's best bet to break that particular record at 110 triple-doubles right now.

2) Ben Simmons

New Orleans Pelicans v Philadelphia 76ers

A triple-double is for the most versatile players, a statistic that combines totally different traits for the modern NBA player.

In this world where seven footers are expected to make jumpers and perimeter defenders are good in the paint, the triple-double is usually for players most dominant on the court.

Ben Simmons is a good player in that his size and athleticism allow him to take up and fulfill different roles on the court. He's big and strong, can drive into the paint, pass the rock and create off the dribble. He's a truly versatile player except for that big glaring three-point shot deficiency in his arsenal of attacks.

Feeding Joel Embiid and Butler is certainly easy, but the man has tremendous potential for serving up high scoring numbers.

He's the futuristic promising pick in this list - he's good at everything that the statistic counts.

3) Luka Doncic

This is the hottest take that I've ever had. Luka Doncic is a prodigy, but other players have been prodigies before.

The real reason I've put his name on here is because I couldn't find a player that deserved this spot more than Doncic. It might just be blasphemy to say so at this young point of his career, but remember, he's 19. The NBA moves at a faster rate now, encouraging players like Doncic to initiate more plays.

Trae Young would have also been a solid choice if it weren't for his rebounding numbers. And unlike passing skill, which Doncic should be able to improve, no one can just increase their height, and Young doesn't seem to be possessed of that me-against-the-world attitude that Westbrook has made his own.

But Doncic is something else. He can put in clutch plays, step back threes, make consecutive blocks on LeBron James and generally lead a Texan team to a respectable spot after years in the pit of mediocrity.