SUMMARY
- Luka Doncic had the most successful season overall, leading the league in points scored while also topping in playoff charts in four major stats.
- Rookies like Victor Wembanyama and Dereck Lively II also made quite the statement this season.
It’s a wrap, folks! The 2023-24 NBA Season has officially come to an end with the Boston Celtics being the newest champions. It has certainly been a long journey leading up to this moment. Teams faced several ups and downs throughout the year. Some had to witness their hard work get put down the drain while others received some hope of a positive future.
In the playoffs, we had Luka Doncic lead the league in all major categories such as points rebounds, and assists. Doncic also led the postseason in steals averaging 2.6 per game. Jaylen Brown received the Finals MVP Award and everyone raised the Larry O’Brien. While we have our minds fixed on the Celtics, here’s a quick recap of stats leaders from the regular season.
Points – Luka Doncic
Luka Doncic made a proper statement this season, and it is that he’s the best player in the NBA right now. On averaging 33.9 points in 70 games played, Doncic became this year’s scoring champion with 2370 points scored. Doncic also led the playoffs in the same category.
LUKA DONCIC TONIGHT:
73 POINTS
10 REBOUNDS
7 ASSISTS
8/13 3PWhy is nobody talking about this????
pic.twitter.com/pda1mOyjkp— MavsMuse (@MavsMuse) February 12, 2024
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored the second most points during the regular season with 2254. SGA finished second in the MVP race while Doncic trailed right behind him. Giannis Antetokounmpo finished third in scoring this season.
Rebounds – Domantas Sabonis
The Sacramento Kings had a great run despite not making it to the NBA Playoffs. The Western Conference was packed with extremely competitive teams. Domantas Sabonis, the leader of the Kings lead the league in rebounding, finishing with 1120 boards this season. In his 82 appearances, Sabonis recorded a whopping 77 double-doubles.
DOMANTAS SABONIS POSTER 😳 pic.twitter.com/QoY6hr5QRI
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 26, 2024
Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert finished second with 982 rebounds. His team made it until the Western Conference Finals but failed to get past Doncic & Co. This year’s MVP, Nikola Jokic finished third with 976 rebounds.
Assists – Tyrese Haliburton
Tyrese Haliburton led the league in this category with 752 assists. He would’ve topped the league by a mile if he hadn’t gotten injured during the regular season concluded. He averaged 10.9 assists per game in 69 appearances.
Tyrese Haliburton showing some flashy passes to captain LeBron for the all star game.pic.twitter.com/NG9Efh6oeU
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) February 3, 2023
Once again, Jokic is amongst the top three with 708 assists recorded during the season. Doncic trailed right behind finishing with 686 assists. Interestingly, Sabonis was shy of 14 assists to reach the top three in this category.
Field Goal Percentage – Dereck Lively II
As a rookie, Dereck Lively II elevated the Mavericks’ bench and he became a lethal scoring weapon for them in the playoffs. The center finished with a league-best 74.7 FG% while attempting 296 shots.
Shoutout Dereck Lively II on a phenomenal rookie season!
Sky is the limit! pic.twitter.com/lQcEanwyMU
— Blue Devils (@BlueDevils) June 18, 2024
His teammate, Daniel Gafford finished third shooting 72.5% from the field on 480 shots attempted. Gafford currently holds the record for most field goals made in a row without a miss since the NBA began tracking it in 1996. He scored 28 consecutive baskets. Charles Bassey also averaged 72.5% this season finishing in second place.
Blocks – Victor Wembanyama
The reigning Rookie of the Year put on a show during his debut season. Victor Wembanyama was excruciatingly close to winning the DPOY to become the first rookie to ever win it. He led the league in blocks finishing with 254 this season.
Victor Wembanyama becomes the first player in NBA history to record 25+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists, 5+ blocks, and 5+ 3PM in a game 📈
🔥 28 PTS
🔥 13 REB
🔥 7 AST
🔥 5 BLK
🔥 5 3PM
🔥 W pic.twitter.com/xNKwwOpNmS— NBA (@NBA) March 1, 2024
His biggest rival by size, Chet Holmgren finished second to Wembanyama with 190 blocks this season. Holmgren has certainly made OKC a serious threat. Brook Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks finished third with 189 blocks recorded this season. Unfortunately, the Bucks didn’t make it past the first round.
Steals – De’Aaron Fox and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Tie)
Both of these individuals were the biggest reasons their teams found great success this season. De’Aaron Fox has not only emerged as a scoring threat but also as a defensive specialist. As for SGA, there’s nothing that needs to be said. Both players finished with 150 steals recorded this season.
Swipa the swiper 🦊
Back-to-back steals for De’Aaron Fox!
Kings-Nuggets | Live on the NBA App
📲 https://t.co/d7uaWjJKPH pic.twitter.com/q6Udl8yLi9— NBA (@NBA) February 10, 2024
Alex Caruso finished with 120 steals, ranking second to Fox and SGA. Caruso has long been a class act on defense even while he was with the LA Lakers. Matisse Thybulle had the third most steals with 113 this season.
3-Pointers Made – Steph Curry
Steph Curry never seizes fire when it comes to shooting daggers from behind the arc. For over a decade, he’s been the best three-point shooter in the league. And for the eighth time in his career, Curry led the league in three-pointers made with 357. Luka Doncic finished second with 284 while Donte DiVincenzo trailed behind him with 283.
Amongst them, Doncic had the best percentage averaging 48.7% throughout the season. Interestingly, Klay Thompson finished just outside the top three in the category, despite having an underwhelming year.