[aamir543Participant]

I usually try to refrain from free loading of people for insider articles, however this particular one stood out. 

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story?id=7423078&_slug_=can-kevin-durant-break-michael-jordan-scoring-titles-record-nba&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba%2fstory%3fid%3d7423078%26_slug_%3dcan-kevin-durant-break-michael-jordan-scoring-titles-record-nba

[bloodshyParticipant]

Could you also paste Chad Ford’s current top 100 w/comments?  Thanks much.

[niQParticipant]

Can’t see the article but if it’s what I think it is, I’ve actually read articles in the past regarding things like this (from those stat lovers blogs lol). The fact that MJ retired so many times kind of hindered his total points. KD does have a chance to reach MJ in terms of "scoring titles," but if you’re looking at total points, not just KD, but apparently Kobe and Lebron both are candidates to reach the most total points milestone. As long as they are able to stay healthy, that is.

[HaleParticipant]

 Kevin Durant is one of the best young scorers under 24 the game has ever seen. Even in the age of elaborate defenses and ultra-comprehensive scouting reports, there is simply no answer for his brilliant offensive skill set. By 22, he had already tucked two scoring titles safely under his belt. As a result, Durant represents the best hope of breaking Michael Jordan‘s all-time mark of 10 scoring titles.

 

 

First, let’s state the obvious: Jordan’s record is a very difficult mark to match. Jordan made it happen with his rare combination of talent, ability, drive and good health. However, given Durant’s ability, it is absolutely possible for him to break Jordan’s record.

 

 

Here’s a look at how he could get it done:

 

 

Why he’ll do it

 

 

1. He’s just 23
Durant is the first 22-year-old two-time scoring champion and the youngest player ever to lead the league in scoring. If he matches Jordan’s pace he’ll be just 27 when he picks up his seventh scoring title; Jordan was 29.

 

 

One thing is for certain (we think): Durant will not chase a career in minor league baseball. That move cost Jordan two potential crowns and he would have likely finished with 12 instead of 10. What’s more, if Jordan didn’t retire a second time in 1998 and played straight through to about 2001, finishing his career with similar production, he would have smashed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,387 career points. Durant will likely play an uninterrupted 16 or 17 seasons. That would essentially mean he needs nine more scoring titles in the 12 years he has left to eclipse Jordan.

 

 

2. He’s still getting better
During last summer’s extended vacation, Durant went to great lengths to improve his ball skills, not only to help set up his deadly jumper, but to give him more options to score from different spots on the floor. He worked on his initial moves — hesitation crossovers, jab steps, quick dribbles to split double-teams — from behind and inside the 3-point line to better separate himself from defenders and get off an improved variety of runners and floaters.

 

 

He also spent most of the summer working on finishing at the basket, particularly concentrating on reverse layups. And after seven games this season, his field goal percentage has jumped from 46 percent last season to 53 percent. Also, taking fewer — and smarter — 3-pointers has seen him bump his 3-point field goal percentage from 35 percent in 2010-11 to 50 percent this season.

 

 

One more important note: Durant is not and never will be a facilitator. His career assist average is a rather paltry 2.7 — Jordan’s was 5.3 — and creating scoring opportunities for others isn’t something Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks will ask him to do.

 

 

3. He’s got health on his side
One of the main reasons Jordan led the league in scoring 10 times was his remarkable durability. In 13 seasons with the Bulls he played all 82 games eight times. And with the exception of a broken foot in 1985 and his minor league baseball stint in 1994, Jordan never missed more than four games in a season.

 

 

While Durant has a much smaller sample size, he’s on a similar path. Durant has played in 321 of a possible 335 regular-season games. But unlike Jordan, Durant has never been sidelined by a major injury.

 

 

4. Durant is more efficient than Jordan
Durant doesn’t need to chase 35-point scoring titles. In most cases a 28-point average will get the job done these days. (Eight of Jordan’s 10 titles were over the 30-point threshold.) That means Durant needs fewer shots to get the same results Jordan did. Discounting his last two seasons with the Wizards, Jordan averaged 23.3 attempts per game. Durant shoots it 19 times per game for his career and is averaging 26.1 points on just 19.0 shots this season.

 

 

Additionally, free throws can be a major factor in winning a scoring title. During the years in which Jordan won scoring titles he shot 8.7 free throw attempts per game and made 83 percent. In Durant’s two years as a scoring champ he’s shooting 9.4 free throws a game at 89 percent.

 

 

From the 3-point arc, Durant has a considerable advantage over Jordan. In Durant’s two title seasons, he shot 35 percent. In Jordan’s 10 title seasons: 29 percent. Last season Durant made 145 3s. Jordan didn’t make his 145th trey until his sixth season.

 

 

Why he won’t do it

 

 

1. He doesn’t have the right complementary teammates
Durant could be facing quite a big impediment to scoring glory in his mercurial running mateRussell Westbrook, whose shoot-early-and-often style has caused friction with Durant on more than one occasion. Westbrook is attempting about 17 shots per game this season and turning the ball over an atrocious 4.6 times. That’s roughly 22 possessions a game during which Durant won’t get a good look.

 

 

But more importantly, Westbrook views himself as 1-A to Durant. Durant also has to contend with a rapidly improving James Harden (17 ppg on 9.9 shots), who has the capability to average 20 points per game and will be looking for more shots himself.

 

 

2. Today’s defenses are too tough
You can’t take anything away from Jordan for regularly shooting above 50 percent and making 32 points per game look easy. But the reality is that better, longer athletes and a shift toward emphasizing defense in the last 15 years have made it much more difficult to collect scoring titles. Not to mention Durant is coming up in the age of hyper-scouting where literally every shot he’s taken in an NBA game (and his percentages from every spot on the floor) is available for opponents to analyze.

 

3. LeBron James
Durant could continue his torrid play and still fall short of a scoring title the next couple years if James gets in his way. James could win several more scoring titles before he’s done. Right now James is leading the league in scoring with an average of 29.3, a 3.2-point edge over Durant.

 

Conclusion

 Indeed, Durant needs a hefty eight scoring titles to match Jordan (nine for the record), but with a two-title head start and advantages from the free throw and 3-point lines, it isn’t that far-fetched to think that Durant could one day own more scoring titles than anyone else in history. In fact, I’d bet on it.

 

 

 

 

 

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