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What separates some of the great NBA players from the good ones is their ability to consistently make shots from anywhere on the floor. Many stars are able to put up 20+ points per night, but some find it difficult to do it with a level of accuracy that means they can be relied upon for a bucket. Take Steph Curry for example. He has led the league in scoring twice in the last decade but more than half of his shots come from deep.
Dozens of players in the NBA, such as Curry, have scored 10,000+ points over the past decade but that is not what we are keen to look at. Instead, we have decided to focus on the seven who have done so with a shooting accuracy of 50% or better from the field. Let's take a look at those who made the list.
Who are the seven NBA players to have scored 10,000 points since 2011 on 50% shooting
#1 LeBron James
LeBron James is the best player of his generation and is constantly involved in arguments regarding who the G.O.A.T of basketball is. The LA Lakers leader has had an immense decade as one of the most consistent scorers in the league, tallying up a staggering 20,116 points.
He has hit countless game winners, clutch buckets and has won four NBA championships since 2011.
James is a monster in the paint, using his size and athleticism to drive to the basket before floating in a layup or dunking on his opponent. Although his ability to do so as frequently each night has faded with age, LeBron is still carrying his teammates and is looked to to make timely buckets.
His 3-point shooting wasn't a reliable part of his game early on, but James has steadily improved from deep and is taking more attempts (he made 36.5% of efforts this year). He is constantly available for his teammates as one of the most durable players in the NBA and has averaged over 38 minutes per game throughout his career. His scoring has been as consistent as his availability, connecting with 52.7% of field-goals in the last decade.
#2 Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant has been an ice-cold killer ever since he stepped foot in the NBA and has taken over games on the biggest occasions. Within our time frame, he has led the league in scoring twice, including in his MVP season (2013-14) when he averaged 32 points per game. In the campaign before that, he became part of the 50-40-90 club which he has come close to repeating on two other occasions.
Despite his consistent brilliance, Durant was on course to have his best shooting year this season, though was only able to play in 35 games. His effective field-goal percentage was a career-high 60.8% and he connected with a personal best 45% of threes.
Durant is probably best known for his lethal mid-range jumper. However, with his length and ability from deep, there is really nowhere on the court that he can't score well from. Even in a three-heavy Golden State Warriors side, he kept pace with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, connecting with 38.4% of treys over three campaigns.
Over the last decade in the NBA, he has tallied 17,916 points while shooting at 50.6% from the field.
#3 Anthony Davis
It's no surprise that the LA Lakers are title favorites this season considering they have two lethal scorers in LeBron James and Anthony Davis along with new arrival Russell Westbrook.
Davis entered the league in 2012, averaged 13.5 points in his rookie season and has gone from strength to strength since. On his day, he is a top-5 player in the NBA. Not only does he have the quick feet to clear space from his opponent in the mid-range but he can bully his way to the basket with his immense size and strength.
Since the 2013-14 NBA season, Davis has averaged over 20 points a game with that tally increasing to 24 or more each night the season after. As a result of this, he ranks third on this list for points scored with 13,463. His shooting also ranks among the most consistent big men in the league, having finished seven campaigns with a field-goal percentage above 50%.
#4 Giannis Antetokounmpo
Of any player on this list, Giannis Antetokounmpo has had the least time to run up 10,000 points and spent his rookie campaign mostly coming off the bench scoring 6.8 points per game and shooting at 41% from the field. Since then, though, he has developed into one of the most dominant players in the NBA with his ability to bully his way to the cup and post-up his opponents before hitting a fadeaway jumper.
Antetokounmpo has been a back-to-back MVP of the league and has been among the top-5 scorers for the past five seasons. He has had 118 games of 30+ points, 17 with more than 40 and two above 50 to total 12,319 since he entered the league in 2013.
What has helped Antetokounmpo make this exclusive list apart from his consistency is the fact that he has taken very few three-pointers in his career (just 2.2 per game) and has avoided any significant injury. The fewest games Antetokounmpo missed in a campaign was eleven, which was this year, including a six game span in April.
#5 Thaddeus Young
One name who may surprise some to have made it onto this list is Thaddeus Young. However, despite playing for five different sides over the last decade, Young has remained extremely consistent with his shooting and had a career-year from the field this season, connecting with 55.9% of shots. He has totalled 10,845 points and shot at 50.3% from the field.
Akin to Antetokounmpo, Young has been able to avoid injuries and has averaged over 13 points a season within our timeframe. He is also not a three-point shooter, instead earning most of his points within 10 feet of the basket. In fact, his accuracy of shots between three and ten feet of the basket is higher than the other four players above him on this list. No wonder there are several teams interested in him should the San Antonio Spurs choose to buyout his contract.
#6 Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard is still going strong after his 17th season in the NBA and will re-unite with the LA Lakers this year to help them compete for another ring. Although some of Howard's best seasons were before our timeframe, the 35-year-old has had some dominant campaigns since and is one of the most-reliable interior scorers in the league. Since 2011, he has recorded 10,575 points and shot at 59.6% from the field - the best rate of any player on this list.
Howard is famously known for rarely shooting from deep, in fact he has only attempted 88 threes in his career and made 14 of them. Instead, he is a menace in the paint, competing for rebounds and putting them back with authority. Over the past decade, at least 25% of his field-goals have been dunks with as many as 199 in the 2016-17 season.
The LA Lakers benefitted massively from Howard's efficiency off the bench in their 2020 title run and will hope for more of the same this time around.
#7 Serge Ibaka
Serge Ibaka will be hoping to have a big impact on the LA Clippers' fortunes this season after missing 31 games last year. He has played with some great teams over the past decade and knows what it takes to play up to expectations, having been alongside Durant and Russell Westbrook in OKC, winning a ring in Toronto and now playing to compete for another in LA.
Ibaka narrowly makes it onto this list with 10,136 points due to his injury problems over the last two seasons. However, when he is on the court, his shooting is extremely accurate and has finished eight of the past ten campaigns with an effective field-goal percentage above 54%.
