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The NBA has evolved into teams and players working more on their offensive skills over the last few years.
Last season, the league averaged 112.1 points per game, the highest the NBA has ever seen so far. The scoring average has been more than 111 points per game for the last three seasons, so one can expect it to get even better from here on.
Each team has at least two or three effective three-level scorers, who can average at least 20 points per game with ease. That's been key in the increase in the league scoring average in the last decade or so.
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Many these players are racing towards the 10,000-point mark in the NBA. It would be a monumental feat for so many stars to achieve this feat in the same season. On that note, here's a look at the five players likely to do so in 2021-22.
#5 Nikola Jokic (Current NBA points tally: 8360)
Nikola Jokic won his first NBA MVP award last campaign on the back of a career-high season. He averaged 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game, shooting 56.6% from the floor. Jokic has always been a decent scorer since the start of his NBA career. He has averaged at least ten points per game in each of his six seasons.
The Denver Nuggets big is currently the furthest from the 10,000-point mark on this list, having tallied 8,360 points so far. He will have to score at least 20 points per game across 82 games to do so. But with the way he scored last season, one can expect him to achieve the feat this campaign.
Moreover, the Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray is expected to miss a significant amount of time in the 2021-22 NBA season. That could see Jokic do most of the scoring for the team in the upcoming campaign.
#4 Karl-Anthony Towns (Current NBA points tally: 9352)
Karl-Anthony Towns has been sensational since making his NBA debut in 2015. The Minnesota Timberwolves big man has averaged 22.9 points per game throughout his career, showing great efficiency as a three-level scorer. Last season the 2015 #1 pick averaged 24.8 points per contest, shooting 48.6% from the floor and 38.7% from the three-point line on 6.3 attempts.
Towns has tallied 9352 points throughout his NBA career, which means he is only 648 points from reaching the 10,000-point mark. It will take him barely 7.8 points per contest to achieve the feat.
Except for his rookie year, he hasn't averaged below 20 points per game throughout his six-season career. Considering the same, Towns should easily reach the 10,000-point mark next season.
#3 Devin Booker (Current NBA points tally: 9395)
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker is another player who could achieve the 10,000-point mark in the NBA next season.
Booker had entered the NBA as a spot-up shooter. But he was prolific from the three-point range, and continues to be one of the best offensive players in the league. He has certainly evolved over the years, and has been working on his all-around game lately.
Booker has averaged a staggering 23 points per game throughout his six-season career. That's been a key reason why he is so close to the 10,000-point mark so early in his career. He has tallied 9395 points so far, and is just 605 points shy of achieving the scoring milestone.
If he continues to score as he did in the previous season (25.6 points per game), he will cross the 10,000-point mark within the first 30 games next season.
#2 Khris Middleton (Current NBA points tally: 9811)
Khris Middleton has taken some time to reach the level he is at in the NBA right now. He won his first ring in the NBA last season, and was huge for the Milwaukee Bucks. Casuals, who did not know who Middleton is, now look at him as one of the most high-profile players in the league.
His shooting and scoring efficiency, paired with his clutch gene, have been monumental in the Bucks' championship run. He averaged 20.4 points per game last season on 47% field goal and 41% three-point shooting. Middleton is only 189 points away from scoring his 10,000th point in the NBA.
If he starts the season scoring at least 20 points per game, he will achieve the feat within the first 15 games of the 2021-22 NBA season.
#1 CJ McCollum (Current NBA points tally: 9971)
Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum is closest to crossing the 10,000 point-mark in the NBA. He is just 29 points shy of achieving the feat, having tallied 9971 points in his career so far.
McCollum had a slow start to his career, averaging roughly six points per game in his first two NBA seasons. But he turned things around in remarkable fashion, averaging at least 20 points per contest in each of his last six seasons. McCollum could have crossed the 10,000-point mark last season itself if not for a long-term injury that limited him to playing 47 of 72 games regular-season last campaign.
Another game or two for a player of his caliber should be enough for him to enter the exclusive 10,000-points club in the NBA.
