Ranking the Top 30 NBA Scorers Ahead of 2026-27

Debating top-10-star status has become a rite of passage for NBA fandom.

But why stop there? Heading into the 2026-27 season, the B/R NBA staff is ready to litigate who's who among the Association's best—not only from an all-around perspective but also in several skill categories.

As in seasons past, we're not predicting where players will finish in April. This is a breakdown of where the league stands right now, meaning players set to start the year sidelined or unsigned aren't included.

3-Year Scoring Profile: 23.8 points, 61.1 TS%, 37.4 3P%, 41.1 mid-range FG%, 77.8 rim FG%, 48.9 %Ast'd

It feels a little foreign to see LeBron James this far down a list like this. He spent so many years at or near the top.

But Father Time has finally sapped LeBron of some of the explosiveness that helped make him one of the best players of all time. It'll also, almost certainly, affect his availability this season. Apparently, he's dealing with both arthritis and sciatica this preseason.

Even as he enters his age-42 campaign, though, LeBron is still one of the savviest slashers in the league. He's a bit more judicious with his shots. And he doesn't rise above defenders the way he once did. But on a team with three 20-plus-point-per-game scorers, he'll still average at least 15.

3-Year Scoring Profile: 21.0 points, 59.9 TS%, 36.8 3P%, 41.1 mid-range FG%, 67.2 rim FG%, 27.1 %Ast'd

Like LeBron, Harden's best days as a scorer are obviously behind him. At this point in his career, he may be more known for his distribution than his self-creation.

But when called upon, Harden can still generate high-efficiency offense for himself in just about any possession.

He's one of the game's most prolific foul-drawers. The stepback still gets him open looks almost on demand. And he's had an above- average three-point percentage in three of his last four seasons.

28. Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans

3-Year Scoring Profile: 22.5 points, 62.0 TS%, 28.6 3P%, 38.0 mid-range FG%, 72.0 rim FG%, 49.1 %Ast'd

There are two pretty huge knocks on Zion Williamson, and they both weigh down his scoring impact a bit. For one thing, he's almost incapable of scoring away from the basket. And for another, even more important thing, he's only averaged 39.4 games per season during his career.

But once you get beyond those knocks, you get to one of the most devastating interior scorers the NBA has ever seen. He's fourth all time in career points per 75 possessions and second only to Michael Jordan in career two-pointers per 75 possessions (tracked all the way back to the 1973-74 campaign).

The absurd numbers don't come entirely from his athleticism either (which is good, since it seems like time and injuries have already robbed him of some of what he brought into the NBA). Zion can navigate interior defenders as well as players much smaller than him. He's great at timing and making cuts to the basket. And he can still blow by defenders who don't close out carefully.

3-Year Scoring Profile: 19.1 points, 60.5 TS%, 38.5 3P%, 44.9 mid-range FG%, 76.7 rim FG%, 69.2 %Ast'd

Using three-year numbers doesn't really do Michael Porter Jr.'s recent scoring outburst justice. In his first season outside Denver and with a more prominent on-ball role, MPJ averaged 24.2 points and 3.4 threes per game.

The catch-and-shoot accuracy and volume from his time with the Nuggets were still there, but he also showed an ability to get his own shot. His pull-up game looked just about as smooth as the catch-and-shoot one that got him paid.

Expanding his playmaking for others made him a better scorer too. Defenses can no longer bank on the fact that the ball will go up as soon as he touches it (or shortly thereafter). And having to play him for the pass makes scoring drives more accessible.

3-Year Scoring Profile: 19.5 points, 57.9 TS%, 34.5 3P%, 42.4 mid-range FG%, 72.6 rim FG%, 63.8 %Ast'd

The jump shot still feels like a work in progress, but Jalen Johnson has rapidly developed into one of the NBA's top scorers for a few reasons.

First, he's huge. Johnson is only listed at 6'8", but he's one of those players who somehow carries himself and plays bigger. And combining that size with high-end athleticism and a desire to physically dominate goes a long way.

Johnson is also better than most players his size (or with his raw athleticism) at handling the basketball and creating opportunities for both himself and others. His willingness to pass out of those possessions makes his scoring attempts harder to defend too.

3-Year Scoring Profile: 29.4 points, 61.9 TS%, 34.7 3P%, 47.4 mid-range FG%, 70.3 rim FG%, 60.4 %Ast'd

Joel Embiid being this far down the list is entirely about his inability to stay on the floor. As you can see, it certainly isn't the numbers.

Embiid, when he's available, can still put up the most effortless-looking 30 points in the league. If he catches the ball anywhere near the elbow, all it takes is a couple jab steps and his slightly fading away jumper. Seemingly no one can contest it. He makes around half of those attempts. And he's still as good as anyone at drawing fouls on the ones that might not have a chance.

He doesn't even need to drive or post up. Even threes aren't crucial. He's a big enough target in the mid-range to simply jog to his spot, get the ball and hit the bottom of the net.

3-Year Scoring Profile: 25.2 points, 60.2 TS%, 40.6 3P%, 47.4 mid-range FG%, 68.8 rim FG%, 44.3 %Ast'd

Kyrie Irving missed all of last season recovering from a torn ACL, but you can expect him to quickly reestablish himself as one of the most skilled scorers in the NBA in 2026-27.

Most analysis, understandably, begins with his handle. It's as mesmerizing as anyone's in basketball. And that extends to the players who defend him. Clearly. Because very few in league history can manipulate an opponent with little more than the handle quite like Kyrie.

And the skill doesn't end there. Once he's created the opening (even a small one), Kyrie's jump shooting and acrobatic finishing around the rim make him one of the most dynamic one-on-one finishers in the NBA.

3-Year Scoring Profile: 18.4 points, 60.0 TS%, 34.8 3P%, 39.3 mid-range FG%, 69.4 rim FG%, 56.1 %Ast'd

As was the case for MPJ, using three-year numbers is sort of a disservice to a player with a recent breakout like Deni Avdija.

He was a respectable scorer in 2023-24 and 2024-25, but the expansion of his role in 2025-26 made him a near-no-brainer All-Star.

As one of the most relentless drivers and free-throw generators in the NBA, Avdija averaged 24.2 points, 9.2 free-throw attempts and 1.9 threes last season.

1-Year Scoring Profile: 21.0 points, 54.8 TS%, 29.5 3P%, 39.6 mid-range FG%, 74.2 rim FG%, 44.2 %Ast'd

There's a healthy dose of optimism at work here.

Cooper Flagg was 32nd in the league in points per game last season, and he was nowhere near league- average scoring efficiency.

But Flagg also spent significant chunks of his rookie campaign attempting to play point guard. Even plenty of the time he spent at his more natural position was without a high-end playmaker next to him.

And even in that difficult circumstance, he averaged the third -most points ever in an age-19 (or younger) campaign (behind only Luka Dončić and Zion).

Given how quickly and dramatically Flagg developed as both a freshman at Duke and rookie in the NBA, and after seeing what he did for the Mavs last season, the optimistic view of his scoring is warranted.

3-Year Scoring Profile: 19.2 points, 62.2 TS%, 36.9 3P%, 44.3 mid-range FG%, 79.5 rim FG%, 50.3 %Ast'd

Austin Reaves undoubtedly learned a lot from being LeBron's teammate for the last five years, but he also had to sacrifice some on-ball opportunities.

This season, even with Luka as the clear Alpha, Reaves should have more time and possessions to show what he's learned.

Over the last two seasons, when LeBron was off the floor, Reaves averaged 26.3 points per 75 possessions with a 63.9 true shooting percentage. And those numbers came in a variety of ways.

Reaves isn't the most explosive athlete, but he's a shifty slasher, a good pull-up jump shooter and far from above selling some contact to get easy points from the line.

3-Year Scoring Profile: 23.2 points, 55.4 TS%, 32.3 3P%, 40.0 mid-range FG%, 69.9 rim FG%, 44.0 %Ast'd

This is another bet on upside, because Paolo Banchero has been one of the least efficient high-volume scorers in the league over the course of his career.

Well, at least he has been in the regular season.

With Banchero, there are multiple sources of hope for better scoring. His size (6'10" with a handle that often looks like a guard's) and age (24 in November) are important, but it's what he's done in the playoffs that's truly intriguing.

It's only 19 games, but in the postseason, Banchero has put up 27.4 points with a three-point percentage (38.5) that dwarfs his regular-season mark.

3-Year Scoring Profile: 21.8 points, 58.8 TS%, 36.6 3P%, 42.5 mid-range FG%, 73.6 rim FG%, 59.6 %Ast'd

Long gone are the days of Pascal Siakam simply spamming his spin move to put points on the board.

That's still there as a go-to, but especially since he joined the Indiana Pacers, Siakam has expanded his offensive repertoire.

His jump shot, both from three and the mid-range, is more reliable. And he's shown an ability to be both a finisher alongside a high-volume playmaker like Tyrese Haliburton and a one-on-one scorer without him.

3-Year Scoring Profile: 22.8 points, 60.0 TS%, 42.0 3P%, 46.1 mid-range FG%, 66.9 rim FG%, 42.5 %Ast'd

For years, Denver Nuggets fans have patiently waited for "Playoff Jamal" Murray to show up for the regular season. And boy, did he ever in 2025-26.

Last season, Murray averaged 25.4 points (16th in the NBA) and 3.3 threes (fifth) while shooting a blistering 43.5 percent from deep.

And it wasn't just the damage he did from three-point range that was impressive. Murray was also one of the most dangerous pull-up shooters from the mid-range.

Altogether, he made more total jump shots than all but Kevin Durant, Luka Dončić and Jalen Brunson.

3-Year Scoring Profile: 22.9 points, 60.6 TS%, 36.8 3P%, 37.9 mid-range FG%, 70.7 rim FG%, 81.6 %Ast'd

One of the most unique scorers in the NBA, Lauri Markkanen has been among the league leaders in both threes and dunks since he joined the Utah Jazz. In that time frame, no one matches or exceeds his totals in both categories.

He's also different from most of the rest of the list in the way he approaches the offensive end. Dribbling and one-on-one basketball are rare. It's either catch-and-shoot or catch-and-dunk. He may need a rhythm or gather dribble, but you won't see much more than that.

Markkanen is efficient both in terms of his percentages and in terms of how quickly he gets to the point when he has the ball.

3-Year Scoring Profile: 24.8 points, 62.0 TS%, 40.2 3P%, 48.7 mid-range FG%, 77.2 rim FG%, 45.5 %Ast'd

As they did with Embiid, the voters must've weighed availability (or predicted availability) when considering Kawhi Leonard. Because the season he just had suggests he could be higher.

With his Terminator-like approach to scoring, Kawhi averaged 27.9 points with a 62.9 true shooting percentage in 2025-26. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the only player in the league who matched or exceeded both marks.

Even as he enters his age-35 season, Leonard is undoubtedly one of the best, most calculating and most well-rounded scorers in the NBA.

3-Year Scoring Profile: 24.7 points, 57.0 TS%, 34.2 3P%, 44.5 mid-range FG%, 73.7 rim FG%, 42.8 %Ast'd

For the first time since Jayson Tatum ascended to the role, Jaylen Brown was the Boston Celtics' alpha scorer last season.

And though he did it with below- average efficiency, Brown poured in more total points than all but Luka Dončić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in 2025-26.

He did it from all over the floor. Dunks, the mid-range and three-point range were all used to get to his 2,038 points.

And what his nitpickable individual numbers maybe don't say is how helpful it was to have the defense hyper-focused on him. Yes, he took a lot of low-efficiency shots, but the Celtics averaged 0.2 more points per 100 possessions and had a better effective field-goal percentage when Brown was on the floor.

3-Year Scoring Profile: 24.3 points, 55.9 TS%, 35.1 3P%, 46.8 mid-range FG%, 62.0 rim FG%, 33.1 %Ast'd

For good reason, Cade Cunningham is known far more for his playmaking than he is for his scoring.

But over the last few seasons, and even if his shooting has never quite lived up to the pre-draft hype, he's developed into one of the league's best scorers.

He's yet to post an average true shooting percentage in his career, but roughly two-thirds of his baskets over the last three years were self-created. And the mere threat of his one-on-one scoring makes his playmaking more dangerous (and vice versa).

3-Year Scoring Profile: 26.2 points, 59.5 TS%, 34.1 3P%, 49.9 mid-range FG%, 71.0 rim FG%, 45.1 %Ast'd

One of the misconceptions about Devin Booker is that he's an elite three-point shooter. Generally speaking, he's not. His career three-point percentage is below average , and he hasn't had an individual season above average since 2021-22.

But this isn't meant as a diss. On the contrary, it lends itself to the praise of the rest of his game.

Booker is treated like a high-end outside shooter by defenses, which opens up the rest of the floor for himself and his teammates. He's among the game's very best at getting past that first line of defense, getting to his spot in the mid-range and cashing from there.

His jump shot, aesthetically, looks as good as anyone's in the league. And even with an uninspiring three-point percentage, he still has above-average scoring efficiency overall, because he's so good inside the line.

3-Year Scoring Profile: 26.5 points, 63.6 TS%, 41.8 3P%, 52.6 mid-range FG%, 82.4 rim FG%, 55.9 %Ast'd

Just look at those shooting percentages. Absolutely absurd, especially when you consider that those three seasons were KD's age-35, age-36 and age-37 campaigns. And , he has a torn Achilles in his history.

Voters in this exercise may have been influenced by his age. There's surely some projection at work here. And it's not crazy to think someone with Durant's mileage would decline at 38.

He also doesn't quite have the quickness or force necessary to get to the rim as willingly as he once did.

But on recent performance alone, Durant's a little underrated here.

3-Year Scoring Profile: 26.3 points, 58.9 TS%, 35.5 3P%, 39.5 mid-range FG%, 75.5 rim FG%, 39.3 %Ast'd

Jayson Tatum is now around a year and a half clear of his torn Achilles. He also got a handful of games in 2025-26 to knock some rust off.

Now, we'll get a chance to see whether he can completely reclaim is pre-injury form.

That player combines the scoring repertoire of a guard with the frame of a power forward and can darn-near sleepwalk to 20-plus points.

3-Year Scoring Profile: 26.9 points, 57.5 TS%, 36.0 3P%, 42.0 mid-range FG%, 66.4 rim FG%, 42.0 %Ast'd

Tyrese Maxey's scoring average has gone up in each and every season he's been in the NBA, from 8.0 as a rookie all the way up to 28.3 last season.

And while his absurd quickness and end-to-end speed are both crucial ingredients in producing the way he does now, it's Maxey's development elsewhere that has made him one of the absolute best scorers in the NBA.

In 2025-26, he and Anthony Edwards became the 11th and 12th players in NBA history to have campaigns of at least 28 points and three threes per game.

9. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers

3-Year Scoring Profile: 26.1 points, 59.5 TS%, 36.7 3P%, 47.8 mid-range FG%, 66.0 rim FG%, 36.6 %Ast'd

Speaking of three-threes-per-game seasons, Mitchell just had his sixth. Only Stephen Curry (13), Damian Lillard (nine) and Klay Thompson (nine) have more such campaigns .

And of that trio, the scorer who Mitchell probably resembles most is Lillard. Mitchell is as capable of getting all the way to the rim as any guard his size (6'2" on a good day). He's comfortable in the mid-range too.

In an era jam-packed with moneyball players who focus almost entirely on layups, threes and free throws, Mitchell is still a bona fide three-level scorer.

3-Year Scoring Profile: 23.4 points, 59.4 TS%, 34.2 3P%, 37.7 mid-range FG%, 75.7 rim FG%, 73.2 %Ast'd

Victor Wembanyama is another player almost certainly pushed up to his position by forward-thinking voters. His scoring numbers over the last three seasons aren't close to KD's, for example.

But the 7'4" Wembanyama, obviously, has an absurd ceiling in this department.

The jump shot and his ability to get it up off the dribble will always set him apart from other super-tall players who've wound up in the NBA, but his abilities around the rim are what set him apart from everyone else.

At points during his Finals run, it seemed like Wembanyama had the revelation that he's 7'4" and very tough to contest at the rim. His three-point attempt rate last postseason was down from his career regular-season mark. And in his highest-scoring game of the playoffs, he only took two threes.

Wemby shouldn't abandon the jumpers altogether, but the run to the Finals was a good reminder of how dominant he can be inside. Assuming he finds the right balance between jump shooting and attacking the rim, Wembanyama can absolutely live up to this rank.

3-Year Scoring Profile: 25.8 points, 62.2 TS%, 40.0 3P%, 45.5 mid-range FG%, 68.7 rim FG%, 57.0 %Ast'd

Even at 38, Stephen Curry may well be the best shooter in the world. At the very least, the threat of his shooting and his off-ball movement still bends defenses in a way no one else's does. And the advantages that creates for his teammates are massive.

But even if we just focus on what Curry directly puts on the stat sheet, it's not hard to see how he rose as high as he did in this exercise.

He's still one of the best one-on-one ball-handlers in the NBA. He knows how to get shots for himself with or without the ball. The heartbeat-quick release on his jumper is almost impossible to bother. And he remains an underrated finisher around the rim, given his size.

With all of the above still cooking, Curry just wrapped up his 10th season with averages of at least 24 points and four threes. The rest of NBA history combined has eight such seasons (three from Damian Lillard, two each from Luka Dončić and James Harden and one from Anthony Edwards).

3-Year Scoring Profile: 27.0 points, 59.2 TS%, 38.5 3P%, 48.8 mid-range FG%, 66.0 rim FG%, 31.1 %Ast'd

Jalen Brunson's ascension from second-round pick to "he could be a solid career backup" to one of the best scorers of all time and a likely future Hall of Famer is nothing short of astonishing.

Even the most optimistic draftniks or Brunson fans, back in 2018, could not have possibly foreseen this .

He's 17th in NBA history in career playoff points per game. He generates the bulk of his buckets, whether inside the three-point line or beyond it, for himself. And at a (generously listed) 6'2", he just joined a pretty exclusive list of small guards who were the best player on a three-point-era championship team (joining Stephen Curry and Isiah Thomas).

5. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves

3-Year Scoring Profile: 27.3 points, 59.4 TS%, 38.5 3P%, 39.8 mid-range FG%, 71.0 rim FG%, 40.3 %Ast'd

The statistical profile above looks an awful lot like Brunson's, only with worse mid-range shooting and better shooting at the rim.

And that obviously matches the eye test.

Edwards has developed into one of the best high-volume three-point shooters in the NBA, but his size and athleticism still help him put up big numbers around the rim too.

He's one of the most explosive and devastating slashers in the league, while also comfortably averaging three-plus threes per game now.

3-Year Scoring Profile: 29.8 points, 64.1 TS%, 27.2 3P%, 38.4 mid-range FG%, 79.7 rim FG%, 47.4 %Ast'd

Take a second look at those numbers. They're unlike anyone else's in this top 30. And they raise the question: Who needs three-point shooting when you can get to the rim and finish like that?

Giannis Antetokounmpo, despite never developing a reliable outside shot in an era that almost requires it, is one of the NBA's most devastating scorers because of his otherworldly combination of size and athleticism.

When he makes up his mind to get the ball all the way to the basket, there's almost no defender or team defense that can stop him. And the numbers back that up.

Giannis doesn't just lead the NBA in field goals made within three feet of the rim over the last three years. He has 442 more than second-place Rudy Gobert (in 47 fewer games). The gap between him and Gobert is about the size of the gap between Gobert and 35th-place Bam Adebayo.

3-Year Scoring Profile: 27.8 points, 66.0 TS%, 38.9 3P%, 52.8 mid-range FG%, 73.9 rim FG%, 63.1 %Ast'd

As much as he may eschew the idea of being the NBA's best scorer, there is a very real argument that that's exactly what Nikola Jokić is.

He doesn't score at the same volume as Luka Dončić or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but he's more efficient than both, without quite the same benefit those two receive in free-throw-attempt rates.

The edge for Jokić comes largely from an area of the floor we haven't discussed much here: the floater zone. His touch is mostly lauded after one of his absurd passes goes viral, but it extends to shots inside the three-point line too.

Over the last six seasons, Jokić has 1,769 field goals made from somewhere between three and 10 feet from the rim. He shoots 60.5 percent from that range (league average over that span is 45.0 percent). The gap between his total and second-place Pascal Siakam is the same as the gap between second place and 96th-place Jalen Green.

And, as if that didn't drive the point home hard enough, Jokić has 902.8 " points added " from that range (and over that span), which is around the total of second, third and fourth place combined .

3-Year Scoring Profile: 32.2 points, 60.9 TS%, 37.3 3P%, 46.6 mid-range FG%, 81.3 rim FG%, 26.7 %Ast'd

The NBA's points-per-game leader over the last three years, Luka Dončić, has an outside shot of being considered the greatest scorer in NBA history by the time he's done.

He's third all time in career points per game and second all time in career playoff points per game. He's averaged at least 33 points in two of the last three years. And at 27 years old, he already has six seasons with 28-plus points per game (only Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Kevin Durant and Wilt Chamberlain have more).

With LeBron James gone and the Los Angeles Lakers fully, officially his, that total is only going to keep going up too.

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

3-Year Scoring Profile: 31.3 points, 64.5 TS%, 37.2 3P%, 52.8 mid-range FG%, 74.1 rim FG%, 22.6 %Ast'd

There are no real holes in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's scoring game. Even three-point shooting, something defenses may have once hoped for from him, has been shored up. Last season, he hit 38.6 percent of his long-range attempts.

But what really makes SGA the best scorer in the NBA (at least according to this voting pool) is how dominant he is from the mid-range and how adept he is at drawing shooting fouls.

No one can speed him up. His knack for getting to his spots inside the three-point line is unparalleled in today's NBA. And on the off chance his defender gets to the spot with him, SGA is a master of getting him off his feet and jumping into him, hooking him or hitting the deck upon landing from his own jump in a way that draws the whistle in real time.

Put it all together, and you get some of the most efficient scoring we've ever seen from a guard. His last four years stack up shockingly well to the best offensive box plus/minus stretches from Stephen Curry and Michael Jordan.

SGA's last four seasons: 31.3 points, +6.1 relative true shooting percentage, 7.5 OBPM

2015-2018 Stephen Curry: 26.4 points, +10.6 relative true shooting percentage, 8.0 OBPM

1988-1991 Michael Jordan: 33.1 points, +7.1 relative true shooting percentage, 8.8 OBPM

And at 28 years old, we probably have at least a few more years of this from SGA.