"All this stuff is cool to do": Kevin Durant reflects on historic milestone as he breaks into NBA's top 10 scoring list
Thanks to his talents on the offensive side of the ball, Kevin Durant has finally cracked the top 10 in the NBA's all-time scoring list, with 27,423 points. He accomplished the feat during the second quarter of the Phoenix Suns' matchup against the defending champions Denver Nuggets. He drove towards the baseline against Reggie Jackson before scoring an easy layup off the glass.
In doing so, he passed NBA legend Moses Malone who has now fallen to the 11th spot in the all-time scoring list with 27,409 points.
Kevin Durant will go down as one of the most elite scorers in the history of the NBA. He has the complete package on offense from being able to hit a jump shot from anywhere on the court even when contested, to his ability to get to the rim and finish through contact. He is undoubtedly one of the most lethal offensive weapons as evidenced by his four NBA scoring titles.
During the postgame press conference, Kevin Durant was of course asked about his most recent accomplishment.
"It's a long journey to be up there, be mentioned with the greats. It takes a lot of work and it takes a lot of preparation, and a lot of people to help you get to that point," Durant said. "I'm grateful, thinking about the people who helped me get to this point. All my teammates, coaches, family, friends that invested in me since I was a kid. So all this stuff is cool to do... It's amazing to be amongst the greats."
Also read: Top 10 scorers in NBA history ft Kevin Durant after passing Moses Malone.
Taking a look at Kevin Durant's scoring averages throughout his career
When Kevin Durant entered the league, the Seattle SuperSonics were still an NBA team. In fact, the Sonics were the team that drafted him with the second pick in the 2007 draft behind Greg Oden.
During his rookie season, he averaged 20.3 points per game, a statistic that would help him secure the Rookie of the Year award. In his second season, he would increase his scoring to 25.3 points while also improving his 3-point shooting to 42.2% from 28.8%.
In his third season, Kevin Durant would average 30.1 points to lead the league. This would be the first of his four scoring titles and would kick off a three-year streak where he would lead the league in scoring.
Throughout his career, he has never scored below 25 points per game in a season except his rookie year. His lowest scoring average would be 25.1 during the 2016-17 season with the Golden State Warriors.
This season, he is averaging 31.3 points through 16 games. If he finishes the season with the same scoring averages, it would mark the first time that he has averaged over 30 in a game since the 2013-14 season, where he averaged 32 points per game.