Kevin Durant is closing in on No. 8 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Kevin Durant enters Wednesday’s game against the 76ers (10 ET, League Pass) need 9 points to overtake Shaquille O’Neal (28,596) for eighth place in the List of all-time NBA scorers.
This is the last movement in a constant rise up the ranks for Durant.
- 2022-23 season: KD ranked 21st all-time when he started the season in Brooklyn. By the time he finished the season in Phoenix, he had passed Alex English, Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, John Havlicek, Paul Pierce, Tim Duncan, Dominique Wilkins and Oscar Robertson to reach 13th place.
- 2023-24 Season: KD’s first full season with the Suns saw him pass Hakeem Olajuwon, Elvin Hayes, Moses Malone and Carmelo Anthony to reach ninth place, with one more legend to overtake – O’Neal.
As incredible as Durant’s rise career goalscoring list has been one to watch, that comes as no surprise. KD has been getting buckets since the day he stepped on an NBA court in Seattle as a 19-year-old.
Durant averaged 20.3 points in 2007-08 on track to win Rookie of the Year honors. Similar to the all-time leading scorer, LeBron James, this is the only season in which Durant averaged less than 25 points per game.
He won four scoring titles along the way, but the key to Durant being on the verge of becoming a top eight scorer of all time is his consistency.
The only thing that ever slowed Durant’s rise there were injuries. Not only has his scoring average not declined, but it is back near its highest levels of the last three seasons – all following a torn Achilles.
KD score summary looks a lot like that shot board above…stacked.
- 9,817 Field goals made (17th all-time)
- 1997 3 points made (16th all time)
- 6,957 free throws made (10th all time)
What makes Durant special as a scorer, he is not a specialist. He does not dominate a phase of the score:
- 16 players I made more buckets
- 15 players I did more than 3
- 9 players I made more free throws
Instead, its combination in all aspects of scoring that’s what sets him apart.
Durant can beat you on the dribble and finishes at the basket (3,059 FGM in the restricted area), he can stop inside the paint (1,526 FGM outside the restricted area) and he is a master in the mid-range (3,228 FGM – the most of all areas of the field).
He is a career 38.7% 3-point shooter, we must therefore respect the deep ball, which puts the defenders in an impasse. Play him tight to take away the 3 and he will outrun you and dissect the defense from inside the arc. Play with it and watch it rain for 3 seconds.
A true three-level scorer, Durant’s ability to get buckets from any spot on the court has allowed him to climb the record books.
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