Kevin Durant's 'what if he wasn't injured' debate heats up as he blazes past Shaquille O'Neal in scoring charts

Kevin Durant’s 22-point display in a 115-102 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers saw the 35-year-old become the eighth-highest NBA scorer of all time. Durant has now scored 28,610 points in 1,048 career games, averaging 27.3 points per game.

The stellar achievement makes him the second-highest active scorer in the league after LeBron James, as he looks set to overtake a range of other legendary NBA stars. Durant, who is still looking for his third NBA ring following the Golden State Warriors stint, has undoubtedly established himself as one of the best scorers in the league’s history.

Considering his injury history, this brought forth an interesting debate on Twitter. 'Balls Don’t Stop' claimed that as Kevin Durant has missed four years, he would have been nearing the top three had he played for three of those seasons.

Not everyone agreed with this. Many brought a variety of arguments, with most using the opportunity to troll the original poster. One user said that being able to deal with hypotheticals is what makes the achievements of LeBron and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, impressive, claiming that “LeBron is the IF.”

Another brought up the fact that both Stephen Curry and LeBron have had major injuries in their careers, and most users agreed with the 'hypotheticals' argument.

Could Kevin Durant have made top-3 in terms of points, if not for injuries?

One basketball fan had facts to back up his theory. He suggested that Kevin Durant’s yearly averages suggest he would not have been anywhere close to reaching the top three. The Phoenix Suns’ superstar is still almost 3,000 points away from seventh on the list, Wilt Chamberlain.

The likes of Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Karl Malone make up positions six to third, with Malone finishing with 36,928 points. Durant has missed considerable time due to injury, including an Achilles injury that saw him miss the entire 2019-20 season. Still, he would have to score almost 8,000 points to breach the top three.

That eventuality would have set him up for an assault on LeBron James’ eventual total, which currently stands at 40,179. However, Durant’s best season resulted in 2,593 points. Furthermore, he has scored more than 2,000 points just five times since arriving in the NBA back in 2007.

Kevin Durant would have had to produce his best numbers during this hypothetical missed time. That seems an unlikely scenario, and Durant still stands around 12,000 points away from LeBron James.

As a range of users were quick to point out, playing more games in itself is an achievement, and adds to the legacy of those who stand above him in the scoring charts.