Ricky Rubio didn’t even score 10 points, but the Timberwolves point guard came closer than anyone in nearly a decade to a quadruple-double.
Rubio notched 9 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds and 8 steals in Minnesota’s loss to the Knicks tonight.
That left him one point and two steals from joining the NBA’s exclusive quadruple-double club:
- David Robinson: 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 blocks in 1994
- Hakeem Olajuwon: 18 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists and 11 blocks in 1990
- Alvin Robertson: 20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals in 1986
- Nate Thurmond: 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocks in 1974
The league didn’t begin tracking individual blocks and steals until 1973-74, so some would’ve-been quadruple-doubles might have been lost to history. But with fairly accurate record-keeping now, it’s been quite a while since someone came as close as Rubio.
Here’s every time a player had at least eight in four of the five major categories in the last 30 years:
| Player | Team | Opp. | Date | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK |
| Ricky Rubio | MIN | NYK | 12/16/2015 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 0 |
| Andrei Kirilenko | UTA | MIN | 3/8/2006 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 8 |
| Ron Artest | IND | MIA | 3/31/2002 | 24 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 2 |
| Chris Webber | SAC | VAN | 2/7/1999 | 25 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 9 |
| Mookie Blaylock | ATL | PHI | 4/14/1998 | 14 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 0 |
| Clyde Drexler | HOU | SAC | 11/1/1996 | 25 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 0 |
| David Robinson | SAS | DET | 2/17/1994 | 34 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 10 |
| David Robinson | SAS | MIN | 1/11/1994 | 27 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 8 |
| Clyde Drexler | POR | IND | 12/11/1992 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 0 |
| Alvin Robertson | MIL | MIA | 11/6/1990 | 27 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 1 |
| Hakeem Olajuwon | HOU | MIL | 3/29/1990 | 18 | 16 | 10 | 1 | 11 |
| Hakeem Olajuwon | HOU | GSW | 3/3/1990 | 29 | 18 | 9 | 5 | 11 |
| Michael Jordan | CHI | BOS | 1/15/1989 | 42 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 0 |
| Alvin Robertson | SAS | DET | 3/25/1988 | 15 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 1 |
| Fat Lever | DEN | NJN | 11/24/1987 | 21 | 13 | 14 | 8 | 0 |
| Alvin Robertson | SAS | PHO | 2/18/1986 | 20 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 0 |
| Clyde Drexler | POR | MIL | 1/10/1986 | 26 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 1 |
Rubio, of course, is the only player on the list without 10 points. It’s hard to play so well overall without scoring double digits.
This is just the second time someone had a double-double without 10 points this season. The other: Rubio with 8 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists against the Magic on Nov. 18. But Rubio has a long way to go to become synonymous with that achievement. Jason Kidd had 27 doubles-doubles without points, and Rajon Rondo is the active leader with seven.
There’s also the question of whether Rubio was actually “close” to a quadruple-double. Scoring a single point is very manageable, but two more steals is a tall order.
Rubio gets two steals every 30 minutes this season. Even his rate tonight – hardly a reliable sample – was two steals every nine minutes. Generously average the rates, and Rubio would’ve needed an extra half or so.
Is needing another half to notch a counting accomplishment “close”?
Either way, Rubio came closer than we’ve seen in quite some time.
