Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander look to be in the race for the scoring title again this season.
NBA basketball returns Oct. 24. We are counting down the days like the seconds on a shot clock — literally, that’s what we’re doing. As of Oct. 1, our writers will list 24 storylines heading into the 2023-24 NBA season.
A new storyline will drop each day. Here is No. 5.
Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on the short list of players who could win the scoring title this season. Here’s that list:
5. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves: This is the obvious next-step for the league’s next breakout star. The Timberwolves are his team now, and with the exception of Karl-Anthony Towns there isn’t another certified scorer on the Wolves. Edwards averaged 24.6 points per game last season and him tacking on another four or five points to that in 2023-24 seems right.
4. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers: He’s the answer to a trivia question: Who had the highest scoring game in 2022-23? That would be Mitchell and his 71-point masterpiece against the Chicago Bulls. Mitchell averaged 28.3 ppg last season, his first with the Cavaliers, and his highest as a pro. If he increases his free throw attempts (only 5.4 last season), he has a shot.
3. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks: No scoring list would be complete without Doncic, who’s poised to win his first Kia MVP award, let alone scoring title. Luka averaged 32.4 ppg last season, finishing No. 2 in the league in scoring, a four-point increase from the year before. Even if his increase is half as big this season, that would just about clinch it. The ball’s in Doncic’s hands so often that he’s bound to see plenty of 30-pointers nightly.
2. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers: The reigning back-to-back champ and first center to lead the league in scoring since Moses Malone in 1982, Embiid has a solid chance to make it three straight. A physical player who gets to the free throw line (and a decent outside shooter), Embiid will be in the conversation.
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder: Imagine, here in the 3-point age, a player who takes fewer than three per game might lead all NBA scorers? It’s doable. Shai is masterful at all other methods of scoring. His rim-attacking is vicious, he’s one of the game’s better mid-range shooters and he beats a path at the free-throw line. He was top-five at 31.4 ppg last season. He’s the favorite this season.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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