Slide 1 of 5
NBA 2025–26 Season

Top 25 Scorers:
Who's Elite and Why?

A data-driven argument in five steps

33.6
PPG β€” Luka DončiΔ‡
League Leader
55.6%
FG% β€” Shai G-A
Most Efficient
25
Players Tracked
This Season
Step 1 of 4 β€” The Scorers

The Top 10 Points-Per-Game Leaders

Scoring volume alone doesn't tell the whole story β€” but it starts the conversation. These ten players define elite offense in the 2025–26 NBA season.

# Player Team PTS FG% REB AST EFF
1Luka DončiΔ‡LAL33.647.68.08.834.0
2Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderOKC32.055.64.46.232.9
3Anthony EdwardsMIN29.449.55.23.725.9
4Jaylen BrownBOS29.448.56.94.825.9
5Tyrese MaxeyPHI29.247.24.26.928.5
6Donovan MitchellCLE29.148.44.75.826.4
7Kawhi LeonardLAC27.749.66.13.527.8
8Lauri MarkkanenUTA27.447.67.12.225.8
9Stephen CurryGSW27.246.83.54.823.8
10Jalen BrunsonNYK27.247.23.26.123.3
Observation: All top-10 scorers shoot above 46% from the field. High volume and high efficiency coexist at the elite level β€” scoring more does not necessarily mean shooting worse.
Step 2 of 4 β€” Shooting Efficiency

Volume Doesn't Sacrifice Efficiency

One of the clearest patterns in this dataset: the highest scorers are also highly efficient. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads all top-25 players at 55.6% FG while averaging 32.0 PPG β€” elite in both categories simultaneously.

The bar chart to the right shows FG% for the top 8 scorers. Notice how the numbers cluster above 47%, with Shai and Kevin Durant standing clearly apart as the most efficient high-volume scorers.

Key insight: Players like Luka DončiΔ‡ (47.6%) and Kawhi Leonard (49.6%) demonstrate that shot selection and quality of attempts matter as much as sheer volume.
FG% β€” Top 8 Scorers
Shai G-A55.6%
Kawhi Leonard49.6%
Anthony Edwards49.5%
Jaylen Brown48.5%
Donovan Mitchell48.4%
Luka DončiΔ‡47.6%
Lauri Markkanen47.6%
Tyrese Maxey47.2%
Step 3 of 4 β€” Versatility & The Outlier

Versatility at the Top β€” and One True Outlier

Elite scorers in 2025–26 aren't just scorers β€” they contribute across the board. Multiple players in the top 25 average 5+ rebounds AND 5+ assists, blurring traditional positional roles.

But one player stands apart from every dimension: Victor Wembanyama. While ranked only #19 in PPG, his defensive and rebounding numbers are unprecedented among top scorers.

Meanwhile, Cade Cunningham leads the entire group with 9.8 APG β€” a true point-center model. His turnovers (3.7) are the cost of elite creation.

WEMBANYAMA β€” #19 PPG
2.6
Blocks Per Game β€” Most in Top 25
24.1
PPG
11.1
REB
2.6
BLK
3.8
AST
Most Versatile Top Scorers (5+ REB and 5+ AST)
PlayerPPGREBASTEFF
Luka DončiΔ‡33.68.08.834.0
Cade Cunningham25.45.39.828.0
Deni Avdija25.57.26.726.0
Nikola Jokić25.011.510.335.8
Step 4 of 4 β€” Conclusions

What the 2025–26 Data Tells Us

After examining scoring volume, shooting efficiency, free throw generation, and all-around versatility, five clear conclusions emerge from this season's top 25 scorers:

  • Elite scorers are also efficient scorers. The top 5 PPG leaders all shoot above 47% from the field, challenging the notion that high-volume scoring means sacrificing efficiency.
  • Free throw generation is a separating factor. Luka DončiΔ‡ (8.7 FTA/g) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (9.3 FTA/g) convert contact into points at a rate most players cannot match.
  • Versatility is the norm at the top. Multiple top-25 scorers average 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists β€” the positional distinctions of past eras are fading.
  • Victor Wembanyama is a statistical anomaly. No other elite scorer comes close to his defensive footprint (2.6 BPG, 11.1 RPG), making him arguably the most impactful two-way player in the league.
  • EFF rating and raw PPG can diverge sharply. Norman Powell (#22 in PPG at 23.0) has a lower EFF (19.2) than several lower-ranked scorers β€” volume scoring without broader contribution has limits.

Data Source: NBA Official Statistics  |  Analysis period: 2025–26 Regular Season through February 2026