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Despite the 2020-21 NBA season being unlike any fans have seen before, there has been no shortage of entertainment. The Utah Jazz have been lighting up the West, the Los Angeles franchises have lived up to expectation and the Brooklyn Nets are striking fear into defenses across the league.
Along with the excitement, there have been a number of personal, team and league records posted already this season. This article will take a look at 5 of the best records as we approach the halfway point of the NBA year.
2020-21 NBA season: Top 5 records set so far
#1 James Harden breaks NBA record on debut with Brooklyn
After pushing for a trade out of Houston and actively announcing his disinterest to play for the Rockets, James Harden casually showed up at the Nets and put on an NBA record-breaking debut. The shooting guard became the first player in league history to post a 30 point triple-double for a new team, ending the night with a 32-14-12 statline.
A lot was said about James Harden's move to Brooklyn but any lingering doubt was soon erased when the shooting guard showed what he can bring to the franchise on his debut night. Harden has continued in the same vein this season and is arguably the Nets' best player, doing everything for his side on offense since taking over point duties from Kyrie.
#2 Joel Embiid's personal record night
Joel Embiid has dramatically upped his game this season. From a player that had all the potential to become an NBA great, Embiid has been criticized in the past for not stepping up on the big occasions or consistently enough. The Sixers new coach, Doc Rivers, appears to have got the best out of Philadelphia's young star and with this, Embiid's offensive efficiency has increased exponentially.
The Cameroonian is averaging a whopping 29.8 points and 11.3 rebounds a night, shooting at over 50% from the field and over 40% from downtown. Embiid has had a number of stellar performances this season; however, he recently recorded his best yet.
In the absence of Ben Simmons, Embiid stepped up to carry the Philadelphia 76ers past the Chicago Bulls in what was a record night for the 26 year-old in the NBA. Embiid scored 50 points and grabbed a staggering 17 boards in a 112-105 win.
#3 Nikola Jokic breaks Denver Nuggets NBA triple-double record
Nikola Jokic has proven why he is a part of the league's next group of long-term superstars. The 26 year-old was named as an NBA All-Star starter and is among the three favorites to win MVP of the league.
One aspect of the Serbian's game which has improved this year is his distribution. Averaging a career-high 8.4 assists, Jokic is recording close to a triple-double every night for the Nuggets. Less than halfway through the season, Jokic is well on course to eclipse his record of 13 triple doubles from last year, already putting up 7.
Toward the end of December, Jokic finished in a loss against Sacramento with 26 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, becoming the franchise's leader in triple-doubles. In fact, it was the center's 44th of his career and now with 48, he is ranked 9th on the all-time list in the NBA.
#4 Fred VanVleet posts franchise-high points tally
Fred VanVleet is the Toronto Raptors' star of the future. After being offered a new contract in the offseason, a lot of pressure was put on VanVleet's shoulders to help carry the franchise in the coming years. So far, the 5th-year guard has not disappointed, averaging 19.8 points, 6.7 assists and 1.7 steals.
However, it was his performance at the beginning of February that caught everybody's attention around the league as VanVleet put up a franchise-record 54 points. Not only that, his tally was the most scored by any undrafted player in the NBA's history.
#5 Utah Jazz' bench help put up franchise-record number of threes
The Utah Jazz are the team to beat in the NBA with a 25-6 record helped by two stunning winning runs. Their 11-game run, spanning from January 8th to January 29th is the longest so far this season and was then followed incredibly by nine wins in a row.
However, it was their bench mob that came up clutch this week, carrying the Utah Jazz in a comeback win over Charlotte. Up by only 1 point going into the fourth quarter, the Jazz went on a 26-2 run, helped by bench stars Joe Ingles, Jordan Clarkson and Georges Niang, who also started the quarter and ended the game with 20+ points each.
In total on the night, the Jazz sank a franchise-record 28 threes, 19 of which came from the bench. It wouldn't be a surprise if Utah were to break their record again this year with their immense squad depth, with all players shooting at incredible rates over their opening 31 NBA games.
