2022-23 NBA Season: League Leaders For Every Major Stat Category

Another fantastic 82-game NBA regular season has come to a close, with the play-in tournament kick-starting the postseason. Either way, the regular-season statistics for every player this season are set in stone for the annals of history.

So who were the most dominant scorers, shot-blockers, rebounders, assisters, and more in one of the most competitive seasons in years? Here are the league leaders for the 2022-23 NBA season.  

Points Per Game 

1. Joel Embiid – 33.1 PPG

2. Luka Doncic – 32.4 PPG

3. Damian Lillard – 32.2 PPG

4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – 31.4 PPG

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo – 31.1 PPG

This year’s scoring title race was very interesting, and Joel Embiid became the first center since 1976 to win back-to-back titles. He scored just 0.7 more points per game than Luka Doncic and was on fire during the season. His five highest-scoring games were 65, 50, 49, 48, and 47, and he showed once again why he is the best scorer in the NBA. 

Luka Doncic was second in this race, even though many expected him to surpass Joel Embiid. His five highest-scoring games are 60, 53, 51, 50, and 44. He could have surpassed Embiid if he didn’t have to share the ball with Kyrie Irving after the trade deadline, as Doncic could have continued being a one-man team.

Rebounds Per Game

1. Domantas Sabonis – 12.3 RPG

2. Nikola Jokic – 11.8 RPG

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo – 11.8 RPG 

4. Rudy Gobert – 11.6 RPG

5. Clint Capela – 11.0 RPG

Anthony Davis would have been the season leader in rebounds per game with 12.5 but he didn’t play enough games to qualify. He was one game short of the 57-game requirement and thus has his name omitted from this list. 

Domantas Sabonis’s season-high for rebounds in one game was 23 against the Charlotte Hornets, which was matched by Rudy Gobert against the Utah Jazz. Nikola Jokic had 27 rebounds against the Hornets, while Giannis Antetokounmpo had a season-high of 22 against the Chicago Bulls. Clint Capela had a season-high of 17 against the Indiana Pacers.

Assists Per Game

1. James Harden – 10.7 APG

2. Trae Young – 10.2 APG

3. Nikola Jokic – 9.8 APG

4. Chris Paul – 8.9 APG

5. Ja Morant – 8.1 APG

James Harden became the first player to lead the league in scoring and assists multiple times, with this being his second assists crown. Harden also had the single-highest assists in a game this season, dishing 21 dimes while facing the Los Angeles Clippers. Tyrese Haliburton would have been second with 10.4 assists but played just 56 games in the season. 

Trae Young had a 20-assist game against Harden’s Philadelphia 76ers, while Chris Paul dropped 19 assists against the Sacramento Kings. Ja Morant’s season-high came against the Toronto Raptors with 17 assists, while Nikola Jokic’s season-high was 16 assists against three teams.

Steals Per Game

1. OG Anunoby – 1.9 SPG

2. Jimmy Butler – 1.8 SPG

3. Fred VanVleet – 1.8 SPG

4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – 1.6 SPG

5. De’Anthony Melton – 1.6 SPG

The steals per game category would technically go to Jacob Gilyard of the Memphis Grizzlies for getting 3 steals in his only game of the season. New Lakers signee Shaquille Harrison averaged 2.2 steals over his five games but didn’t play nearly enough games for it to qualify.

OG Anunoby led the league in steals for most of the season but had the same season-high of 6 steals as Jimmy Butler. Anunoby achieved his feat against the Atlanta Hawks, and Butler’s came against the Golden State Warriors. De’Anthony Melton had the single-highest steals game with 7 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Fred VanVleet’s season-high was 4 assists, a feat he achieved 10 times. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 4 steals three times in the season.

Blocks Per Game

1. Jaren Jackson Jr. – 3.0 BPG

2. Nicolas Claxton – 2.5 BPG

3. Brook Lopez – 2.5 BPG

4. Walker Kessler – 2.3 BPG

5. Myles Turner – 2.3 BPG

Jaren Jackson Jr. had a dominant shot-blocking year, becoming the only player with 3.0 blocks per game this season. His season-high was 8 blocks against the Brooklyn Nets. Nets’ center Nicolas Claxton was the runner-up and had a season-high of 6 blocks against the Charlotte Hornets. 

Brook Lopez had the most blocks in a single game this season, with 9 against the Nets’ as well. Walker Kessler had a sensational rookie season that made the Utah Jazz value him as an untouchable prospect. He had 7 blocks in four different games this season. Myles Turner also had a season-high of 7 blocks twice in the campaign.

Turnovers Per Game

1. Trae Young – 4.1 TPG

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo – 3.9 TPG

3. Nikola Jokic – 3.6 TPG

4. Luka Doncic – 3.6 TPG

5. Russell Westbrook – 3.5 TPG

Nobody wants to lead the league in turnovers, but Trae Young has that unfortunate distinction this season, with a game against the Miami Heat leading to a season-worst 10 turnovers. Young will hope to avoid that in the Hawks’ play-in battle against the Heat.

The high-usage players have had some rough games this season, with Giannis Antetokounmpo having the most turnovers in a game this season with 12 against the Toronto Raptors. Nikola Jokic coughed up 10 turnovers against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Russell Westbrook and Luka Doncic both had four 7-turnover games this season. 

Double-Doubles

1. Domantas Sabonis – 65

2. Nikola Jokic – 58

3. Nikola Vucevic – 51

4. Giannis Antetokounmpo – 46

5. Jonas Valuncuinas – 43

The primary leaders for double-doubles this season are all big men, with Domantas Sabonis leading the league with a whopping 65 double-doubles with only 14 games played where he didn’t succeed in registering one.  Nikola Jokic had 58 of them but only had 11 games where he failed to notch a double-double. The closest guard to this list was Trae Young, with 40 double-doubles earned primarily through assists. He had the sixth-most on the season.

Nikola Vucevic played all 82 games of the season and notched 51 double-doubles, and Giannis Antetokounmpo had 46 in 63 appearances. Jonas Valanciunas managed to achieve his 43 double-doubles over 43 appearances, proving that elite big men will consistently notch double-doubles with their rebounding ability. 

Triple Doubles

1. Nikola Jokic – 29

2. Domantas Sabonis – 14

3. Luka Doncic – 10

4. Ja Morant – 7

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo – 6

Triple-doubles are the ultimate sign of control for a player during a game. Impacting three stat categories enough to notch 10 is no easy feat and happened relatively sparingly among the top stars this season. Nikola Jokic’s wondrous rebounding and playmaking ability allowed him to lead the league in triple-doubles with 29 by doubling second-place Domantas Sabonis, who has 14. 

Luka Doncic had 10 on the season, with his highlight game being a 60-point triple-double with 21 rebounds against the New York Knicks. Ja Morant had a sensational 27-point and 15-assist triple-double against the Atlanta Hawks, while Giannis Antetokounmpo had a 30-point and 21-assist triple-double against the Toronto Raptors. 

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