Updating the 100/100 Club From 2016-2023
In my December 31, 2015 article The 100-100 Club Revisited, I updated the membership roster through the 2014-15 season for the exclusive club of pro basketball players who have tallied at least 100 steals and at least 100 blocked shots in the same season. I first examined this subject in the April 2002 issue of Basketball Digest, and then I discussed it again at NBCSports.com in 2006 (subsequently updated at 20 Second Timeout to include the 2006-07 season). I also keep track of the 200-100 Club (200 steals and 100 blocked shots in the same season), the 100-200 Club (100 steals and 200 blocked shots in the same season), and the Top 10 Club (players who ranked in the top 10 in both steals per game and blocked shots per game in the same season).
From the 2015-2016 season through the 2022-23 season, six players recorded a total of 10 100-100 Club seasons. Paul Millsap (2016), Draymond Green (2016, 2017), and Giannis Antetokounmpo (2017, 2018) are the 100-100 Club's three newest members. Andre Drummond joined the club in 2014, and made three more appearances (2016, 2018, 2019) since 2015. Nerlens Noel joined the 100-100 Club in 2015, and he qualified again in 2016. Anthony Davis also joined the 100-100 Club in 2015, and he made his second appearance in 2018.
Drummond is the last NBA player to reach the 100-100 milestone. The 2020
and 2021 seasons were shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, but even after
the NBA schedule returned to normal in 2022 no players posted 100-100
seasons in 2022 or 2023.
The 100-100 Club has 61 members, with 30 of those players accomplishing the feat just once. Julius Erving and Hakeem Olajuwon hold the record with 12 such seasons. The rest of the all-time top 10 includes Kevin Garnett (eight 100-100 seasons), Sam Lacey (seven),
David Robinson (seven), Ben Wallace (seven), Bobby Jones (six), George
Gervin (five), Vlade Divac (five) and Shawn Marion (five).
The 200-100 Club and 100-200 Club did not gain new members since 2015. The 200-100 Club has four members: Michael Jordan (twice), Julius Erving, Hakeem Olajuwon and Scottie Pippen. The 100-200 Club has 14 members; the only players with at least two 100-200 seasons are Olajuwon (11), David Robinson (seven), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (three), Ben Wallace (three), Terry Tyler (two), Patrick Ewing (two), Andrei Kirilenko (two), and Josh Smith (two).
In 2018-19, Drummond became the 10th member of the Top 10 Club, ranking eighth in steals per game and eighth in blocked shots per game. Drummond ranked third in steals per game and ninth in blocked shots per game in 2019-20.
Erving holds the record with six Top 10 Club seasons, two more than Olajuwon had. Bobby Jones (two), Ben Wallace (two), and Andre Drummond (two) are the only other players with more than one Top 10 Club season.
Labels: Andre Drummond, Anthony Davis, Draymond Green, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Hakeem Olajuwon, Julius Erving, Nerlens Noel, Paul Millsap
posted by David Friedman @ 9:47 PM
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving Shine While James Harden Disappears as Nets Destroy 76ers
The only thing better for the road team than the sound of silence is the sound of the home fans booing the home team. Philadelphia fans paid a lot of money to boo former 76er Ben Simmons and cheer new 76er James Harden, but by the second half the only sounds Philadelphia fans made were boos directed at their listless and soft 76ers, who trailed by as much as 36 points en route to a 129-100 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
Kevin Durant scored a team-high 25 points, grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds, and dished for a game-high seven assists while shooting 10-17 from the field and posting a +34 plus/minus number; he authored a complete performance in all aspects of the game at both ends of the court, and it was obvious that he took this game very personally not only vis a vis Harden but also vis a vis Joel Embiid, with whom Durant exchanged pointed words early in the game. Kyrie Irving--on the heels of a scintillating 50 point performance during which he shot 15-19 from the field--scored 22 points on 8-17 shooting from the field, he had five assists, and he accepted the challenge of guarding Harden. Former 76er Seth Curry poured in 24 points on 10-14 field goal shooting, and former 76er Andre Drummond had an impact in the paint at both ends of the court while compiling seven points, seven rebounds, and three blocked shots in 21 minutes.
The Nets led wire to wire, and were already ahead 72-51 at halftime, by which time 76er fans directed their consternation away from Simmons and toward Harden and company. Simmons did not play, as he is getting into condition after not playing at all so far this season. I am not a fan of how he talked his way out of Philadelphia while he was still under contract, but I am also not a fan of how the organization, coaching staff, players, media, and fans in Philadelphia turned Simmons into a scapegoat. As we saw tonight, this team has plenty of flaws, even after Daryl Morey replaced Simmons with Harden, the player who Morey considers to be the greatest offensive player of all-time. The Nets did not even need Simmons' versatility, playmaking, and defense
to annihilate the 76ers. Imagine how good the Nets can be if they are
ever at full strength!
People need to stop focusing on Ben Simmons' deficiencies, and start focusing on James Harden's deficiencies.
James Harden is who I said he is. I have been saying it for nearly a decade, and I know that some people will never listen, believe, or accept, but James Harden is overrated, he is mentally soft, and he disappears in big games. Longtime 20 Second Timeout readers know that I do not place too much emphasis on the result of any one particular game, but this was not just one game for Harden--this one game is part of a career-long pattern. Harden scored 11 points on 3-15 field goal shooting in the first half. His former teammates showed great game plan discipline, shading him to his right hand and not committing silly fouls. Harden had a -22 plus/minus number in the first half. Harden scored no points on 0-2 shooting from the field in the second half before Coach Doc Rivers mercifully pulled the plug, and put Harden--whose -30 plus/minus number tied Joel Embiid for game-worst "honors"--on the bench.
Embiid bulled his way to 19 free throw attempts and he made 15, but he shot just 5-17 from the field and, as is often the case, he wore down after being aggressive during the game's first few minutes. He finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds, but no one who watched this game with understanding thinks that the player who is being hyped as the 2022 MVP is in the same category as Durant. Durant has missed too many games this season to be considered in the MVP balloting, and if Embiid misses any more games then he should be dropped from consideration as well, but this game was a great reminder that if these teams meet in the playoffs the best player on the court will be Durant.
Put another way, this game provided a great example of the difference between NBA champions Durant and Irving compared to "wanna be" champions Embiid and Harden. Embiid is young enough, big enough, and talented enough that perhaps there is still hope that he could lead the right kind of team to a title, but he needs better physical conditioning, a more refined/focused mentality, and a better, more reliable sidekick than Harden. Both Embiid and Harden spent much of the first half bricking shots and then whining to the referees about phantom fouls. They looked like the opposite of what champions look like, and that fundamental flaw will not change any time soon, no matter how many regular season games the 76ers win the rest of the way.
The way that the 76ers looked tonight is the way that they will look when the pressure ramps up during the playoffs.
What happens in big games matters more than empty calorie, padded statistics compiled against inferior teams--and, no matter how much anyone tries to play it off after the fact, this was a big game not only in the standings, but also because of the trade that brought Simmons, Curry, and Drummond from Philadelphia to Brooklyn in exchange for Harden. Yes, this is just one game, but this one game reaffirmed much of what we already knew about Durant, Irving, Embiid, and Harden, which in turn reaffirms much of what we already knew about the championship prospects of both teams: Philadelphia is a team built by tanking, and that loser's mentality is tough to shake; Brooklyn is a team built around the talents of former NBA champions Durant and Irving, and the Nets are a major threat if they stay healthy (which includes Irving being available for home games as soon as possible, which may happen if the New York City COVID-19 vaccination mandate is lifted).
Labels: Andre Drummond, Ben Simmons, Brooklyn Nets, James Harden, Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Philadelphia 76ers, Seth Curry
posted by David Friedman @ 10:54 PM
Drummond, Cousins Look To Take Next Step After FIBA Experience
Guest Article by Sam Holbein
Four years ago, much was made about the
fact that nearly every player on the 2010 FIBA World Cup team wound up doing
big things that fall in the NBA. Many agreed that the extra work against
world-class talent helped players take that next step. Two very talented big
men in the NBA are hoping that the same will hold true in 2014. DeMarcus
Cousins and Andre Drummond are two of the most talented young centers in the
game, and they are getting valuable experience this summer.
Talent in the NBA is abundant, but these two still
stand out in a crowd. They are both physically gifted in ways that few
basketball players in the world are. Both were highly regarded out of high
school and college, but they came with some red flags. Discipline has always
been an issue, and maturity has been questioned at times as well.
Cousins is the older of the two, and right now, he
is more refined. That has led to more significant minutes in the FIBA World Cup
so far. It is very likely that the United States will count on him quite a bit
if they face Spain in the championship game. The Spaniards have a lot of size
to throw at Team USA, but Cousins is as big and as talented as any of them.
People in
fantasy basketball are more than pleased with Cousins’ output at this time. He
is someone who is more highly regarded when just looking at his statistics.
There has been a lot of losing in Sacramento, and some of the blame has been
put on Cousins’ lack of leadership qualities. Now 24 and around a bunch of
other talented players, perhaps he can step things up for the Kings in
2014-2015.
As for Drummond, he seems to briefly show flashes
of brilliance at times. He is one of the most physically gifted NBA players in
the game, but he still needs to refine his game. He has no jumpshot to speak
of, and his free-throw shooting is atrocious. As long as he stays within
himself, he is worth going after in fantasy basketball because he is a
double-double machine.
Drummond might not be playing as much in the World
Cup, but he is still practicing with some of the best in the world. With Stan
Van Gundy now the head coach in Detroit, it is time for Drummond to take things
up another level. His hard work this summer could make him an All-Star sooner rather than
later in the Eastern Conference.
Labels: Andre Drummond, DeMarcus Cousins, Detroit Pistons, FIBA World Cup, Sacramento Kings
posted by David Friedman @ 9:52 PM
