Three’s Company: The Rise of WNBA Triple-Doubles
Exploring the Surge of Triple-Double Performances in Women’s Basketball
Triple-doubles.
Once an elusive stat line now rings in the ears of women’s basketball fans everywhere.
It may have been Sabrina Ionescu’s illustrious college career — one filled with 26 triple-doubles — that caused the rise in media attention around the milestone. By the end of her time wearing Oregon’s green and yellow, people watched entire games waiting for her to hit double digits in points, rebounds, and assists. Lucky for them, she often did.
On the college side, Ionescu passed the torch to another triple-double machine in Cailin Clark. The former Iowa Hawkeye slotted 17 career triple-doubles while in college, the second most in NCAA history.
The uptick in triple-doubles has infected the WNBA as well. In the league’s first 24 seasons, dating from 1997 to 2020, there were a total of seven triple-doubles. The three seasons that followed saw a whopping 25 total triple-doubles in comparison.
Twenty-five. Nearly four times the number of triple-doubles despite 21 less seasons and hundreds of fewer games.
The triple-doubles have come in all different shapes and sizes. Think of Alyssa Thomas’ dominant 21 points, 20 rebounds, and 12 assists in 2023 or Sabrina Ionescu’s 31-point, 13-rebound, 10-assist night on Las Vegas’ home court in 2022 or even Courtney Vandersloot’s 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 18 assists in Connecticut during the 2021 season. It isn’t just the distribution of stats that can vary, it’s also the amount of time it takes players to reach them. Vandersloot’s triple-double came in a tough battle against the Sun where she played 44 minutes, but Candace Parker and Courtney Williams have each reached triple-double status in just 26 minutes, adding to the versatility of the feat.
This trend of players making triple-doubles look increasingly more effortless doesn’t seem to be stopping, either. In the first two nights of WNBA action in 2024, there have already been two triple-doubles on record.
At least part of the reason why triple-doubles have become more common is because games have gotten quicker. The WNBA keeps track of PACE, a measurement of how many possessions a team averages per game on both offense and defense. Over time, the average PACE of WNBA games has fluctuated from about 75 possessions per game in 1997 down to 67 in 2001 and, finally, up to over 80 in 2023.
The biggest change of PACE came between the 2005 and 2006 seasons when it jumped from 68.5 possessions per game to 76.4 possessions per game. This increase in speed can be credited to the WNBA’s shift from using a 30-second shot clock to a 24-second one — a move intended to have the exact effect that the PACE statistic shows it did.
With increased speed of play comes more shots per game, the back bone of triple-doubles. More shots tends to lead to more points, especially considering a league average shooting percentage just under 37% in 2023. With more shots and more made baskets also comes more assists. In 2023, 65% of field goals made were assisted. Not all shots go in, of course. A 37% field goal percentage translates to 63% of field goal attempts leading to rebounding opportunities. Putting this all together, for every 10 additional possessions per game, a team would theoretically experience 8–12 more points, three more assists, and six more rebounds. These extra statistics are free for the taking and can help players put the finishing touches on that coveted triple double.
Beyond just pace of play, WNBA offenses are also roaring because of rule changes that favor offensive players. In particular, the freedom of movement rules that have become a point of focus for referees in recent years seeks to limit the amount of defensive physicality in games. Grabbing, hand checking, and wrapping-around offensive players are things referees have an increased eye for, leading to bigger cushions for players to shoot, drive, run off screens, and more.
If you find yourself sitting in front of the TV thinking “oh that call was soft!”, it was likely a freedom of movement infraction and it advantages the offensive player.
Not only does it help the offense move, it also helps garner position-less basketball. Forwards and centers can often be found outside the three-point line in today’s game, partially because advanced freedom of movement allows them to stretch without much worry about being an exceptional ball handler. Position-less basketball and the way it has changed the game in recent years gives reason to why 56% of all WNBA triple-doubles have come from bigs. Of the seven triple-doubles before 2021, just three of them (43%) were from forwards or centers. Since the 2021 season began, the script flipped. Of the 25 triple-doubles after 2021, 60% have come from bigs.
Forwards and centers living beyond the arc is representative of their increased ability to shoot from deep. Bigs who can shoot are phenomenal assets to teams as they space out the floor and lead to more open threes for all players on the court. Their shooting abilities coincide with the overall league’s love of the three. Since 2016, the league has experienced a three-point renaissance, highlighted by 29% of points per game coming from beyond the arc the past three seasons. This figure is up from 21.5% across the league’s first 24 seasons. The increased threes add to the rise in triple-doubles, especially when considering that shooting averages are typically lower from three.
Not only does three-point shooting lead to an addition of points while the misses (~78% of attempts in 2023) leads to more rebounds, three-point baskets also are more commonly assisted. Over the league’s lifetime, 55% of two-point field goals made were assisted while 85% of three-pointers came off of passes. This trend is another that produces more opportunities for players to collect the needed points, rebounds, and assists for a triple-double.
This trend from beyond the arc can be added to the list of factors that have contributed to the historic triple-double numbers seen today. That list also includes an improved pace of play, rule changes that favor offensive players and impressive levels of position-less basketball. There can be no singular reason for the soaring number of triple-doubles because they are so dynamic. A triple-double can (and has) come from all different positions, in varying amounts of playing time, and with flexible distributions of stats across points, rebounds, and assists.
The game is changing — fans have known that for years — and these triple-doubles are simply evidence that the WNBA has become a new offensive powerhouse.
And oh boy is it fun to watch.
Sources:
- All data used in this article was scraped from the WNBA’s official statistics hub
- All complete datasets in CSV form are available for download on Kaggle including Team Advanced Stats, Box Scores, and Team Scoring Distributions
