Kevin Durant can surpass NBA legend Michael Jordan in this statistic in the upcoming NBA season.
Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets this offseason and is ready to enter the new year on a title contender. The elite scoring ability that Durant has possessed since his debut in the league makes the Rockets a threat to every team in the league.
It should be a positive season for Durant, whose time with the Phoenix Suns has been a desperate disappointment.
The Suns were tipped for title contention upon Durant’s arrival, and while he has performed well individually to score 26 a night on 52/40 splits, the Suns missed the play-in. If he continues to play like that with the Rockets, he will pass the legendary Jordan in this statistic.
Kevin Durant can pass Michael Jordan on the all-time leading scorers list this season
If Durant scores 26 points per game as he did last season, he will pass Jordan on the NBA’s all-time leading scorers list. He would have to average 26 points for 66 games.
The 2014 NBA MVP is among the NBA’s all-time greats on the list already, which is topped by the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron James. Durant sits in eighth with 30,571, nearly 1000 points behind Wilt Chamberlain.
| Rank | Player | Points |
| 1 | LeBron James | 42,184 |
| 2 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 38,387 |
| 3 | Karl Malone | 36,928 |
| 4 | Kobe Bryant | 33,643 |
| 5 | Michael Jordan | 32,292 |
| 6 | Dirk Nowitzki | 31,560 |
| 7 | Wilt Chamberlain | 31,419 |
| 8 | Kevin Durant | 30,571 |
Durant has averaged over 26 points every year in his last nine seasons. The only thing stopping him from achieving this milestone is health and availability. The 15-time NBA All-Star has only played over 66 games three times over that period, although he did play 75 just two seasons ago.
He played 62 games last season, but that is on top of the intense Olympic Games in Paris over the summer, where he helped Team USA to Gold. The 36-year-old is in impressive shape at this point in his storied career.
You have to imagine that, whether it’s this season or next, the record will come. The biggest target for him will surely be a third NBA title.
Houston Rockets shaping up for an NBA title charge led by Kevin Durant
The Rockets, last year’s two-seed, looked to be a superstar short of being serious title contenders last season. They crashed out of the first round of the playoffs to the seven-seed Golden State Warriors.
They acted quickly in the offseason to amend that. Houston traded for Durant without giving up many of their key pieces, allowing them to capitalise on what’s left of his best play to make a run at the title.
They still have Turkish star Alperen Şengün for playmaking and rebounding, and elite young defensive star Amen Thompson, who can lock down opponents’ best player, and is on a steep upward trajectory offensively.
If Durant can stay healthy and maintain his individual performances, then watch out for the Rockets.