Up the charts he goes.
Star Nets forward Kevin Durant passed San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan for 15th place on the NBA’s all-time leading scorers list in Monday’s victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Durant said passing Duncan was particularly special given how dominant the legendary power forward was over the course of his career.
“You want to show up every day, but at some point, you’ve got to celebrate some small wins — just like a win tonight. It’s cool to celebrate that with your team,” he said after Monday’s 125-117 win over the Cavaliers. “So in my career to be able to pass an all-time great, legend, somebody who shifted and changed the game, it’s something that I’ll call my folks tonight and talk over and just reminisce on how we got here.”
Durant is in the middle of the most efficient shooting season of his career.
He entered Wednesday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks averaging 30 points flat on a 67% true shooting percentage, which is an adjusted metric that accounts for twos, three-pointers and free throws. It is found by dividing half of a player’s points scored by the sum of the number of field goals attempts and 47.5% of the number of attempted free throws.
If Durant continues this level of efficiency, he will be the most efficient player in NBA history to average 30 points for a season. The star forward, who prides himself on efficiency, said this feels like the best shooting season of his career.
“Yeah, you could say that. I mean, I never shot this high on percentage before,” he said on Dec. 21. “Just thinking the game a little bit different than I was before. I always felt like I could shoot this well, but I think just the quality of shots and the looks that I’m getting and my focus level on my fundamentals is what’s keeping me there.”
Durant began the season in 24th place on the NBA’s all-time leading scorers list. He has passed NBA legends Jerry West, Reggie Miller, Alex English, Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, John Havlicek, Paul Pierce, and most recently Duncan on his way to No. 15.
If he continues to average 30 points per game, the Nets star is on pace to pass Dominique Wilkins, Oscar Robertson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Elvin Hayes and Moses Malone for 10th place.
He is on pace to remain in double digits, however, unless he ups his scoring to closer to 40 points per game for the remainder of the season. That’s about what it’s going to take to surpass Carmelo Anthony, who holds No. 9 but is unable to add to his tally as an unrestricted free agent.
“So it’s pretty cool to do stuff like that, but [gotta] keep pressing forward,” he said. “Know I’ve got more to do.”
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