With plenty of stars in the league, there have been many high-scoring performances early this NBA season. These performances beg the question: who will win the scoring title this year? Here’s an overview of a couple likely contenders as well as some underdogs.
The Dallas Maverick’s Luka Doncic puts together a strong case for a scoring title. He currently averages a staggering 34 points per game, adding 9 rebounds per game and 8.1 assists per game as well. If Doncic keeps this pace, he’ll join Kobe Bryant and James Harden as the only players to average 34 points or more per game since 1989.
Doncic is leading the league in scoring while shooting 50% from the field. The Mavericks have a 9-8 record, placing them at 9th in the Western Conference.
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been a pleasant surprise this year. He’s gone from averaging 24.5 points per game last season to averaging 31.1 points per game this year. While his 4.8 rebounds per game and 6.4 assists per game fall behind Doncic’s performance, he’s led an inexperienced Thunder squad to a 7-11 record. Gilgeous-Alexander shoots 48% from the field.
The defending champion Golden State Warriors are at a disappointing 9-10 on the season. The silver lining of this performance is Stephen Curry. Curry is averaging 31.6 points per game, 6.6 rebounds per game, and 7.2 assists per game while shooting an impressive 52% from the field.
Stephen Curry, a nearly 35-year-old point guard out of Davidson, is the oldest player on this list. If Curry keeps his current pace, he’ll end this season averaging the second most points per game in his career.
Averaging a career-high 30.6 points per game, the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum might be an underdog gunning for the scoring title this year. He’s the only non-guard on this list, as well as the player with the best record on this list. The Boston Celtics lead the league with a 14-and-4 record. Tatum, a 24-year-old former Duke star, is shooting 47% from the field.
Tatum averages 7.9 rebounds per game and 4.7 assists per game. A factor that makes his scoring even more impressive is that he shares the ball with other scorers on the Celtics like Jaylen Brown. Brown averages 25.6 points per game.
Overall, it’s too early to tell whether Doncic, Gilgeous-Alexander, Curry, or Tatum will push ahead, or if another underdog will appear. But, the race to this year’s scoring title looks to be competitive and entertaining.
Stay tuned for more breaking NBA content, including trades, contract updates and more news from every team.
Featured image courtesy of Glenn James/Getty Images
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