There has been no shortage of great scorers in the NBA, making it almost impossible to pinpoint a top-four in any era. Kevin Durant was challenged to do so though and the Phoenix Suns superstar put together an intriguing Mount Rushmore of “bucket getters” since 2000.
Durant, with the help of his interviewer Chris Henderson, picked himself first before listing Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and LeBron James as his other choices.
Each of the four won at least one scoring title, combining for nine total, all of which came this century. Durant, James and Bryant are all in the top 10 all-time in scoring, while McGrady averaged 26.3 points per game across an eight-season stretch from 2001-2008.
Debate over LeBron
Somewhat surprisingly, the majority of fans in the comments had a problem with LeBron James being included on the list. James has been described in a lot of ways throughout his NBA career, but being labeled a “bucket getter” is apparently not one of them for the league’s all-time points leader.
Of course, there are plenty of omissions from Kevin Durant's list. Perhaps the most obvious one is his former teammate and two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry. Since winning the first of his two scoring titles during the 2015-16 season, Curry has averaged 27.8 points per game across nine seasons.
Fans also pointed out the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Dirk Nowitzki and James Harden as players who should be ahead of James in this scenario. Both Anthony and Nowitzki fall in the top 10 on the NBA's all-time scoring list, while Harden continues his accession and could crack the top 20 by the end of the season.
Regardless of where you lie, this is a fun debate to have and is sure to bring plenty of different names and opinions. It's different than your typical “best player” or “GOAT” discussion and is one that is up for all sorts of interpretation for the phrase “bucket getter thrown in the mix.
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