Tony Cutillo 
The Boston Celtics and the Oklahoma City Thunder were crowned champions for the regular season in the Eastern and Western NBA Conferences, respectively. The scoring title went to Slovenian prodigy Luka Doncic, who averaged 33.9 points through 70 matches, dethroning last season’s winner, Joel Embiid, whose recent campaign was interrupted by injuries.
The latest Sportingpedia report investigates how much each of the 10 highest scorers in the regular NBA season was paid per point. Luka “Magic”, as Doncic is known within the basketball community, is the lone player who managed to score more than 2,300 points during the recently concluded campaign. Our data shows that Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards proves the best value for money among the 10 highest NBA scorers, receiving “merely” $6,606 per point.
Key Takeaways:
- Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards has the lowest $ per point among the 10 highest scorers in the regular NBA season at $6,606 and is therefore the best “value-for-money” scorer on our list
- Luka Doncic has scored the most points during the regular NBA season – 2,370
- Each of Steph Curry’s 1956 points cost the Warriors $26,542 – the highest price among the highest 10 scorers in the 2024 NBA regular season
- Only 4 players earned more than $20k per point with each of them having previously won an MVP award – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry; They also are the only ones who have won an NBA title
- Last season 4 players scored more than 2,000 points, while this campaign they are 7
- Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jason Tatum, and Anthony Edwards are the 5 players who were among the 10 best scorers last season and repeat the accomplishment this term as well
- Jalen Brunson, Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant, De-Aaron Fox and Stephen Curry are the 5 new additions
- Steph Curry (36) and Kevin Durant (35) are the only players above 30 years of age
- 7 of the 10 highest scorers play in the Western Conference while only 3 in the Eastern
- 6 of the 10 highest scorers in the NBA are Americans, 3 are Europeans, and 1 is Canadian
Five of the 10 highest scorers remain the same as last season, with Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jason Tatum, and Anthony Edwards keeping their positions, while Jalen Brunson, Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant, De’Aaron Fox, and Stephen Curry are the 5 new additions. Of the 10 best scorers, Anthony Edwards proves the best value for money, being paid just $6,606 for each of his 2,049 points throughout the season. On top of that, Edwards is the youngest player on the list at just 22 years of age. Only two other elite scorers have been paid less than $15k per point — Jalen Brunson and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
At the other end of the spectrum, four players received more than $20,000 per point—Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry. Besides being the oldest in the group, these four are the only to have won an NBA title and each of them have been selected as the Finals’ MVP. Curry (36) and Durant (35) also prove that age is just a number, being the only players above 30 to find a place among the highest scorers. Each of Curry’s points cost the Golden State Warriors $26,542, almost four times more than Anthony Edwards’ cost of $6,606. Ant-Man’s case catches the attention, as he is not only the youngest of the crop but also the lowest paid. Obviously, inexperience is not a flaw, and it has not stopped Edwards from draining buckets, but it affects his wealth as he is the only elite scorer being paid less than $10k per point. It all will change for him next season, as Anthony Edwards’ rookie deal expires. He has already agreed to a super-max rookie extension, which begins in the 2024-25 season, worth an estimated $204 million over five years.
The scoring champion Luka Doncic receives $16,905 per point, which positions him fifth in our rankings. The Slovenian along with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are the only players in the NBA who have managed to score more than 2,000 points in consecutive seasons. New York’s Jalen Brunson is the only player who enters the ranking, while replacing a teammate. He eclipsed Julius Randle’s 1,936 points in 2022/23, with a total of 2,212 in the recently concluded season.
SOURCE Sportspedia.com & www.rizeandreactmedia.com
