Luka Dončić erupts for season-high 60 points in Miami
Luka Dončić goes off for a season-high 60 points as the Lakers grab their 8th straight victory with a win in Miami.
The NBA has no shortage of bucket-getters.
But winning the scoring title is not just a matter of talent. It means sustaining elite production over an 82-game marathon and outpacing the world’s best scorers, often while facing the opponent’s top defender.
Supporting casts, offensive roles and availability all help shape the race. But which player will take the crown?
Below are 10 players who could claim the 2026-27 scoring title, along with the case for each – starting with the reigning champ.
Luka Dončić
Last season, “Luka Magic” felt like a nightly occurrence. Dončić posted a whopping 33.5 points per game en route to his second career scoring title. He also led the NBA with 44 games of 30-plus points and 16 of 40-plus.
No other player scored 40-plus more than 10 times, while Dončić’s total included 51- and 60-point outbursts. He paired that volume with efficiency, posting the second-highest effective field goal percentage of his career (56.3%), behind only 2023-24, when he led Dallas to the NBA Finals.
Now, following LeBron James’ departure, Dončić enters the season with a Lakers roster reshaped around his skill set, putting a third scoring crown within reach.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander broke Wilt Chamberlain’s 20-point game streak vs. the Celtics on March 12.
Anytime you break a record held by Wilt Chamberlain, you’re doing something right. Wilt’s streak of 126 consecutive 20-plus point games stood for 63 years until Gilgeous-Alexander broke it last March.
He now enters 2026-27 with that streak at 140 consecutive games, coming off a 31.1 ppg season and his second straight Kia NBA MVP. That consistent production comes from consistent shot-making, as SGA shot 55.3% from the field last season, while no other top-five scorer topped 49%.
Even more impressive? Shai finished as the scoring title runner-up despite sitting out 26 fourth quarters. If OKC needs him to play deeper into games, his numbers could climb even higher.
Anthony Edwards
Anthony Edwards dropped 55 points against the Spurs on Jan. 17.
Anthony Edwards is a walking highlight, and his athleticism makes him must-see TV. But Edwards has become a top-echelon scorer by steadily improving his outside shot.
After leading the league in made 3-pointers in 2024-25, Edwards shot a career-high 39.9% from deep last season, helping fuel a career-best 28.8 points per game that trailed only Dončić and SGA.
Now the question becomes how he’ll gel with LaMelo Ball, another high-volume scorer who can stretch defenses from deep. Ball could ease Edwards’ offensive burden, but sharing the scoring load could also limit his overall numbers.
Nikola Jokić
Nikola Jokić erupted for 56 points on Christmas Day.
Jokić’s passing gets so much attention that his scoring can feel like an afterthought. That’s scary when you consider he averaged 27.7 points per game last season, eighth in the NBA, while shooting 56.9% from the field.
On the side, he casually led the NBA in assists (10.7) and rebounds (12.9) per game. But what if one of the game’s greatest playmaking bigs called his own number more often? With his touch and efficiency, it’s easy to imagine Jokić challenging for a scoring crown.
Victor Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyama notched 41 points twice last season against the Bulls and Warriors.
He is unlike anything we’ve ever seen, and can seemingly do it all. So why can’t Victor Wembanyama win a scoring title?
Wemby’s meteoric rise has included a steady scoring climb, with his average increasing in each of his three seasons. That culminated in a dominant 2025-26 campaign, in which he posted 25 points per game on a career-high 51.2% shooting.
Wembanyama made that jump while cutting his 3-point attempts from 8.8 per game in 2024-25 to 5.5 last season. At just 22, Wemby is still scratching the surface of his offensive potential. A more assertive version of the Alien could push him toward the top of the scoring race.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis is looking to return to his normal scoring form in his first season with the Heat.
Only one player in NBA history has averaged 30-plus points per game on over 60% shooting across an entire season.
His name? Giannis Antetokounmpo. And he did it twice, in back-to-back campaigns in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
Last season, injuries limited Giannis to 36 games, and his 27.6 points per game marked his lowest scoring average since 2017-18. Now, he’s healthy and ready to start a new chapter in Miami. Look out.
Jalen Brunson
Jalen Brunson dropped 45 points in Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals to secure the championship.
The last time we saw Brunson on an NBA floor, he dropped 45 points in Game 5 of the Finals to capture the Knicks’ first title since 1973.
The performance matched Michael Jordan’s Game 6 in 1998 for the most points in a road Finals-clinching win, capping a legendary title run in which Brunson led all playoff scorers with 28.4 points per game.
Brunson has averaged 26-plus points in three straight regular seasons and repeatedly taken over in the playoffs, when buckets are at a premium. And if he can lead the scoring race on the toughest stage, he can challenge to do it over a full season.
Jayson Tatum
After having a full offseason, Jayson Tatum is looking to get off to a fast start offensively.
It took Jayson Tatum just 10 months to return from a torn Achilles last season. A scoring title would be another remarkable leap, but his track record and a larger offensive role give him a case.
After missing the first 62 games of 2025-26, the six-time All-Star eased back in, deferring to Jaylen Brown and picking his spots. And while Tatum wasn’t his usual prolific self, he still averaged 21.8 points across 16 regular-season outings.
With Brown now in Philly, Tatum, 28, enters his first season without his longtime running mate. Before his injury, he averaged 26-plus points in five straight seasons, including 30.1 in ’22-23.
If he regains that form while shouldering more of Boston’s scoring load, he could challenge for his first scoring crown.
Jaylen Brown
Jaylen Brown is coming off a career-high scoring season, and aims to bring that impact to Philadelphia.
Speaking of which, Brown shined as Boston’s undisputed No. 1 option last season, posting a career-high 28.7 points per game – good for fourth in the NBA.
That came with career highs in field goal attempts (21.7) and free throw attempts (7.5) per game, with Brown converting the latter at a career-best 79.5%. But what will his role look like alongside Tyrese Maxey, LeBron James and Joel Embiid?
That question leads us to our final candidate…
Tyrese Maxey
Tyrese Maxey scored 54 points against the Bucks on Nov. 20.
While Brown finished fourth in scoring last year, Maxey finished fifth, also posting a career-high with 28.3 points per game. Now, he’ll have more scoring help, but could that also mean more room to operate? With defenses accounting for Brown, LeBron James and Joel Embiid, Maxey’s speed could become even tougher to contain.
Give him too much room on the perimeter, and he can punish you there, too: He ranked 12th in total made 3-pointers last season (220).
But a scoring title may hinge on how those opportunities balance out: Can Maxey – or Brown – turn the extra space into more points while sharing the ball with three other established stars?
