Listing only 3 players to average at least 25 points on 60.0% true shooting percentage in their NBA career
The NBA has evolved over the years and offensive fundamentals are entirely different as a concept in the modern game. With the evolution of shooting and spacing the modes of scoring the rock have seen a complete transformation over the years.
Naturally, gone are the days where you find a center playing at close to 70% efficiency by playing close to the basket and scoring over 25 points a game. In today's game, efficiency is to be calculated in a relatively different manner while analyzing players.
True shooting percentage is the metric most commonly relied on to determine a player's efficiency in the modern NBA. The calculation takes into account both two-point and three-point efficiency and is widely accepted as the best mean of efficiency determination. League average hovers between 55-58%.
Flowing from the same, 60% seems like an adequate measure to set as a benchmark for identifying the elite in terms of efficiency in the NBA. There are quite a few who maintain that status, therefore to determine the most prolific of those a points-per-game barrier can be set.
When moved up to 25 points, there are only three players who maintain career averages of 25 points per game or more at 60% true shooting or better.
The three players in NBA history to average 25 points at over 60% true shooting are:
#3. Zion Williamson
The former No.1 pick by the New Orleans Pelicans has missed a lot of time with injuries but has proven to the world why the hype surrounding him is justified, with his stellar offensive displays.
The former Duke star averages 25.8 points at 64.3% true shooting for his career spanning 114 games so far. While the sample size is considerably low in comparison to the other two in the same list, it really is an indication of the prodigious talent that Zion possesses.
Zion's closer-to-the-basket, battering ram-style basketball combined with his variety of tricks and nimble moves make him a constant offensive presence. With his game unlikely to change, if his body can keep up with it, there is no reason why Zion cannot maintain this level of historic production going ahead.
But like always, with Williamson, it will always come down to his health - a burgeoning concern for the Pelicans at the moment.
#2. Joel Embiid
The reigning MVP has put up a historic offensive run over the past few seasons and it comes as no surprise to see Embiid in this list. The Sixers' big man has made scoring an art form and has mastered the art of scoring much to everyone else's chagrin. The free-throw-heavy diet certainly isn't for everyone's taste.
Joel Embiid averages 27.2 points at 61.1% true shooting over 394 games in his career. That accounts for almost 4 seasons' worth of regular season games. While that definitely is an indication of the time he has missed since being drafted 8 years back, it also shows how productive the big man is when fit.
Longevity concerns have reduced with Embiid, however, and the perennial MVP candidate is someone who is very likely to improve on his impressive statistical profile in the coming years.
#1. Kevin Durant
For any NBA statistic that combines scoring and efficiency, there has to be an entry by the name of Kevin Durant in that list.
The slim reaper makes a case for himself as one of the greatest, if not, the most talented scorer with this statistic. Over a career spanning a staggering 986 games, Durant averages an incredible 27.3 points per game at 61.9% true shooting.
KD's statistical profile is incomparable to the others on this list, having played at least 500 games more than each of the other entrants while also averaging at least 4.7 minutes per game for that duration in comparison to his younger peers.
If there ever is a beacon for efficient scoring at the NBA level, Kevin Durant is the best representation for the same.