In the NBA, there are many different parts that make up the building of a championship-winning team. There are the floor generals who typically run the offense usually from the point guard position. There are the elite perimeter and interior defenders who cause chaos in an opponent’s offense. There are the rebounders, playmakers, and passers as well, but none may be more important than the ones that put the ball in the basket. I am talking, of course, about the scorers, the ones that, no matter what, can be counted upon in the biggest games and most critical moments of those games to get a bucket.
- 10. Damian Lillard – 25.7 PPG (61 Total Games Played)
- 9. Devin Booker – 26.1 PPG (33 Total Games Played)
- 8. Nikola Jokic – 26.2 PPG (49 Total Games Played)
- 7. Giannis Antetokounmpo – 26.5 PPG (77 Total Games Played)
- 6. Stephen Curry – 26.7 PPG (136 Total Games Played)
- 5. Anthony Davis – 27.2 PPG (40 Total Games Played)
- 4. Donovan Mitchell – 28.6 PPG (40 Total Games Played)
- 3. LeBron James – 28.7 PPG (267 Total Games Played)
- 2. Kevin Durant – 29.4 PPG (156 Total Games Played)
- 1. Luka Doncic – 32.5 PPG (28 Total Games Played)
Being one of the top playoff scorers in any category should be worn like a badge of honor. When it comes to legacy, what a player does in the NBA playoffs means a lot when their careers are over. The players listed below are the active players in NBA history who have averaged the most points per game in the NBA playoffs so far in their careers. Some of these players are currently attempting to add to these totals as the 2022-23 playoffs get underway, while others are awaiting their next attempt to do so. The players below are the 10 players any team would want the ball in their hands in need of a score.
These are the active NBA players with the highest career points per game in the playoffs.
10. Damian Lillard – 25.7 PPG (61 Total Games Played)
Unfortunately for the Portland Trail Blazers and us as NBA fans, the 2022-23 NBA playoffs will not feature one of the best playoff performers of the last 10 years. Damian Lillard was a staple of the NBA playoffs taking the Portland Trail Blazers there for eight straight seasons from 2014 thru 2021. Lillard has delivered some of the most dramatic moments and clutch shots over the last few seasons with the Trail Blazers as well, including a clutch three to send the Rockets home in 2014 and a deep three to do the same to the Thunder in 2019.
Lillard has always been a clutch performer for most of his career but has taken it to another level in the playoffs over time. In 2016, when he led the Trail Blazers to the second round, Lillard averaged 26.5 PPG on 39.3% shooting from three. In 2019 when he led his team to the Western Conference Finals, Lillard averaged 26.9 PPG on 39.4% shooting from three. The last time we saw Lillard in the playoffs was in 2021 when he and Portland lost to the Nuggets in the first round. Lillard had 34.3 PPG on 44.9% shooting from beyond the arc in that series.
9. Devin Booker – 26.1 PPG (33 Total Games Played)
Devin Booker is still relatively new to the NBA playoff season, making just his third appearance in the postseason in 2022-23. For his career in the regular season, Booker is a 23.9 PPG scorer on 46.1% shooting as well as a three-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA Team selection. The NBA playoffs have been a different story than the regular season in his career, where Booker has gone deeper into his bag and been in a much more aggressive attack mode on offense.
In his first trip to the NBA playoffs in 2021, Booker and the Suns would advance to the NBA Finals, where they would build a 2-0 series lead. Of course, the Bucks would win four straight games and win the NBA title, but Booker has turned in an incredible first-time playoff appearance. He averaged 27.3 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 4.5 APG on 44.7% shooting in 22 games played. In 2021-22, Booker struggled with injury but returned in time to help the Suns reach the second round of the playoffs. He would average 23.3 PPG on 45.1% shooting from the field as the Suns were eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks. In 2022-23, he looks to be much more efficient and productive so Phoenix can compete for an NBA title once again.
8. Nikola Jokic – 26.2 PPG (49 Total Games Played)
No matter which way you slice it, Nikola Jokic is one of the best overall players in the NBA right now. He is a dynamic and versatile offensive weapon who can take over a game as a scorer or playmaker at any given moment. He has been unpredictable with the ball in his hands, stifling defenses on a regular basis to lead the Denver Nuggets into postseason contention. In eight NBA seasons, The two-time MVP has been to the NBA playoffs five times with the Nuggets, including a Western Conference Finals appearance in 2020 and a spot as the number-one seed in 2022-23.
In the season that Denver advanced to the Western Conference Finals in 2020, Jokic averaged 24.4 PPG on 51.9% shooting from the floor. It would be the following season that Jokic won his first MVP award for helping Denver get to the playoffs while losing teammate Jamal Murray. The Nuggets would advance to the second round with Jokic averaging 29.8 PPG. In the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs, Jokic would average 31.0 PPG for Denver, but they fell in five games, thus continuing the playoff woes in the Mile High City. Things look much brighter in 2022-23, and right in the middle of it will be the greatest star in franchise history.
7. Giannis Antetokounmpo – 26.5 PPG (77 Total Games Played)
Giannis being ranked seventh on this list is no surprise considering the dominance he has exhibited over the course of his career. Antetokounmpo began his NBA career with the Bucks back in 2013-14 and has been to the playoffs eight times in 10 seasons with one NBA championship and one Finals MVP award to show for it. As up and down as Giannis’ playoff career has been, the fact remains he is one to be counted on when the game enters its critical moments.
Giannis’ best run by far was his 2021 run to the NBA championship with Milwaukee. For the entirety of that championship-winning playoffs, Giannis averaged 30.2 PPG on 56.9% shooting from the floor. He left his best performance for the biggest stage of them all, the NBA Finals. He averaged 35.2 PPG to take down the Suns and deliver the Bucks’ second championship in franchise history. This included a 50-point game in Game 6 to close out the series and cement his name among the greatest players in Milwaukee Bucks history.
6. Stephen Curry – 26.7 PPG (136 Total Games Played)
As the face of one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history, Stephen Curry has led the way as the greatest three-point shooter of all time and one of the game’s best scorers. Curry has been with the Warriors since the 2009-10 season and made nine playoff appearances during that time. He has been a star for four NBA championship-winning teams, with one Finals MVP award just last season in 2022. This also went with two MVP awards, two scoring titles, and a 73-9 season as a team in 2016.
In his nine NBA playoff appearances, Stephen Curry has never averaged below 20.0 PPG in 135 total games played. In their first championship in 2015, Curry averaged 28.3 PPG over the course of the playoffs and shot 42.2% from three on 11.0 attempts. Between the 2017 and 2018 championships, Curry averaged 26.9 PPG on 40.7% shooting from three and 46.8% overall. In 2022, Curry was finally named Finals MVP after missing out on the previous three times they won a championship. In the 2022 NBA Finals against Boston, Curry averaged 31.2 PPG on 48.2% shooting overall and 43.7% shooting from three. Now, you may understand why nobody is counting the Warriors out just yet in 2022-23.
5. Anthony Davis – 27.2 PPG (40 Total Games Played)
The 2022-23 season marked the 11th season of Anthony Davis’ career and just the fifth time he made the NBA playoffs. In his first seven seasons with the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans, Davis made just two playoff appearances in 2015 and 2018. With the Lakers, Davis made an NBA playoff appearance in his first season with the team, which included an NBA championship in the 2020 Bubble. The 2022-23 season marks the third time Davis has been to the playoffs as a member of the Lakers in his fourth season with the team.
In his first two playoff appearances with the Pelicans, Davis was a man-possessed, playing over 43.5 minutes in 2015 and averaging 31.5 PPG. He averaged over 30.0 PPG once again in 2020 as the Pelicans advanced to the second round. With the Lakers, he has been efficient and dominant in postseason play. In the 2020 Finals run, he averaged 27.7 PPG on 57.1% shooting which included a few clutch shots along the way. After being injured for the 2021 playoffs and averaging just 17.7 PPG, Davis looks to have a year as he did in 2020 and make the Lakers the winningest franchise in NBA history.
4. Donovan Mitchell – 28.6 PPG (40 Total Games Played)
One of the more surprising members of the top five of this list is Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers. Mitchell has not missed the playoffs once in his six seasons in the NBA, making all five appearances with the Utah Jazz from 2017 thru 2022 and his first appearance with the Cavaliers in 2022-23. Mitchell has averaged at least 20.0 PPG in every playoff appearance he has made and has only been out of the first round twice.
Over his first two playoff appearances in 2018 and 2019, Mitchell’s numbers were rather pedestrian as he averaged 23.4 PPG on 38.9% shooting from the floor on average for those two years. In the 2020 bubble, he exploded, leading the NBA playoffs in scoring with 36.3 PPG on 52.9% shooting and 51.6% from three on 8.6 attempts. It was incredible to watch unfold over a couple of weeks. In 2021 and 2022 with Utah, Mitchell averaged 29.8 PPG on 42.9% shooting from the floor. In his first playoff game with the Cavaliers on Saturday, Mitchell poured in 38 points on 14-30 shooting and 6-16 from three in a loss.
3. LeBron James – 28.7 PPG (267 Total Games Played)
LeBron James not being number one in something that has to do with the NBA playoffs is surprising at this point, considering his reign over it for 20 years. James has only missed the playoffs four times in 20 seasons in the NBA. He has delivered a total of four NBA championships to three different franchises, with four Finals MVP awards and 10 appearances in the NBA Finals. As one of the greatest playoff performers in NBA history, it is no surprise he is also one of the greatest scorers in NBA playoff history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9DZHvy-AaA
From 2004 thru 2010, with the Cavaliers to begin his career, James went to the playoffs five times, including an NBA Finals appearance in 2007. He averaged 29.3 PPG over that time with no NBA championship. From 2011 thru 2014, James played with the Miami Heat, who he would take to the NBA Finals four years in a row. He averaged 26.9 PPG and won two NBA championships over that time. Since 2015, James has been to the playoffs seven times, and the NBA Finals five times, and won two NBA championships.
2. Kevin Durant – 29.4 PPG (156 Total Games Played)
As one of the most talented scorers in NBA history, Kevin Durant’s playoff PPG ranks second to only one player with not even half of the experience he has in the NBA. Durant is a 16-year NBA veteran who has advanced to the playoffs 12 times with four different teams. Durant has been to four NBA Finals as well, with two NBA championships won and two Finals MVP awards earned. As he sets out on a new playoff adventure in 2022-23 with the Suns, let’s take a look back at his previous playoff performances.
In his nine seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Durant led them to the playoffs six times averaging 28.8 PPG on 45.5% shooting. They would advance to two Conference Finals and an NBA Finals during that time. He would then play three seasons with the Warriors from 2017 thru 2019, where he would advance to three straight NBA Finals and win two NBA titles averaging 29.6 PPG on 51.4% shooting. Since leaving the Warriors, Durant has been to the playoffs three times and is averaging 31.9 PPG on 48.4% shooting. Is 2022-23 the year that Durant adds another championship to the trophy case?
1. Luka Doncic – 32.5 PPG (28 Total Games Played)
Ok, so clearly, we all know that Luka Doncic’s name being towards the top here comes with a bit of context. Doncic has been in the NBA for five seasons, making the playoffs three times, and is not participating in 2023, either. That being said, Luka Doncic has put together some of the most clutch and best playoff performances by a player under 25 years old that the NBA has ever seen.
Doncic has brought Dallas to the playoffs three times, with one trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2022. Doncic has averaged 31.0 PPG or better in each playoff appearance he has made and is shooting 47.3% overall. In 2022’s Conference Finals run, Doncic averaged 31.7 PPG on 45.5% shooting from the floor. I think I speak for all NBA fans when I say we cannot wait to see Luka back in the playoffs in 2023-24.
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