5 Active players with the highest points-per-game (PPG) in NBA Playoffs
Scoring at a high rate in the NBA Playoffs elevates a player into a level of greatness reserved for a few legends of basketball. In the current NBA talent pool, we have some stunning scorers that have stepped up on the league's biggest stage.
Active NBA players with the highest points-per-game average in the NBA Playoffs
Of course, there are some young NBA players who have put on tremendous shows at the start of their careers that would make this list easily. However, in order to have a more representative list, we will include players with at least 25 appearances in the NBA Playoffs.
If you're a diehard NBA fan, you probably know that LeBron James is already the all-time leader in points scored in the NBA Playoffs. However, where does 'The King' rank in terms of points per game in the postseason?
Without further ado, let us take a look.
#5 Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry is a two-time NBA MVP and a three-time champion with the Golden State Warriors. Yet some difficult times during his postseason career have turned many people into believing he has not performed well in the NBA Playoffs during his career.
Still, Curry has been as great in the postseason as he has been in the regular season. He is fifth among active players in terms of career average of points per game in the NBA Playoffs, with 26.5 in 112 playoff games.
Curry's career average of points per game in the regular season is at 24.2.
#4 Donovan Mitchell
A young player in his fourth NBA season, Donovan Mitchell has already shown glimpses of greatness in the NBA Playoffs. Mitchell has had solid performances in his early career in the postseason. He is fourth among active players in the NBA Playoffs, with 27.5 points per game in 27 postseason matches with the Utah Jazz.
Mitchell's average of points per game in the regular season is at 23.4 and he surely shows another gear in the NBA Playoffs. Last season, he put up stunning scoring performances in the postseason, with two 50-point games in the first round against the Denver Nuggets.
He thus became only the third player to have more than one 50-point game in the same playoff series.
#3 Anthony Davis
Already an NBA champion with the LA Lakers and with his value to the team being easily demonstrated during his absence in the 2021 NBA Playoffs, Anthony Davis has had a solid postseason career.
Though he spent seven seasons at New Orleans and made the NBA Playoffs just twice, he put up good numbers and managed to make one appearance in the second round, back in 2018.
With the LA Lakers, Davis won the 2020 NBA championship after leading the team in scoring in both the regular season and postseason. His career average of points per game in the NBA Playoffs is 28.05, which is the third-best among active players and sixth in NBA history.
#2 LeBron James
Yes, LeBron James is second on this NBA Playoffs list, but it really does not take away any ounce of greatness from him. The King is the all-time leading scorer in the NBA Playoffs, and he is also the all-time leader in games played.
This could have had an impact on him not being at the top of the points-per-game average list.
James averages 28.69 points per game in his postseason career, slightly above his 27 points per game in the regular season. He has played 266 games in the NBA Playoffs, and also has brilliant averages of nine rebounds and 7.2 assists per night.
The four-time Finals MVP is second among active players on PPG, but he's surely been brilliant in the NBA Playoffs and is the best of his generation.
#1 Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant, a two-time champion and two-time Finals MVP, leads active players on PPG in the NBA Playoffs with a career average of 29.2 in the postseason. His postseason average is more than two points above his regular-season average.
Durant has played 144 NBA Playoffs games throughout his 14-year career, and his average of points per game might be growing with each game. He is putting up 32.6 points per game in the 2021 NBA Playoffs with a 54/50/91 shooting split for the Brooklyn Nets.
Durant is third in points per game in the NBA Playoffs on the all-time list, behind Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson.
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