The triple-double drought wasn't as long as some made it out to be

On Jan. 1, 2024, the Utah Jazz saw Jordan Clarkson not only record his first-ever career triple-double but also snap the Utah Jazz's drought on them. The last triple-double the franchise saw recorded was by Carlos Boozer in 2008. He dropped one on the Seattle Supersonics with a stat line of 22 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, and five steals; all while playing 38 minutes.

It as 16 years in between triple-doubles, at least so some would make you believe. That's not totally true, as the Jazz didn't have to wait 16 years between triple-doubles. In fact, the last triple-double was in 2018. Granted, the reason you haven't heard this as often is because Rubio's triple-double with the Jazz came in the playoffs, not the regular season as Boozer and Clarkson have done.

In a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Rubio had 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists for the Jazz, taking a 2-1 lead over the Thunder in the process. The ironic thing is that the Thunder, the team the Jazz had last dropped a triple-double on in the playoffs, was the same team that Boozer dropped one on 10 years prior.

Rubio became the first player in 17 years to secure a triple-double in the playoffs, when John Stockton dropped one on, you guessed it, the Dallas Mavericks. Stockton had a stat line of 12 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds in a three-point loss to the Mavs. It was Stockton's only triple-double of his career.

The Jazz have had 13 men with triple-doubles in their career, with Pete Maravich leading the way with seven and Mark Eaton of all people in second with six. Unlike just about every other player on the Jazz who has racked up a triple-double, Eaton was able to do so with blocks and not assists. The only other player to record a triple-double with blocks is Andrei Kirilenko, who did so in what would turn out to be the second of three games he recorded a triple-double.