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About This Quiz
The days of the "Bad Boy" Pistons and Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls, where each possession required significant grinding to score because of the physicality allowed on the court, are long gone. Today's NBA is all about ensuring the game is fun for fans to watch, and fans want to see scoring more than anything else. To accomplish this, the NBA began implementing rules to increase offensive production like the often-cited elimination of hand-checking.
New rules along with a faster pace of play and more three-point shots have helped the NBA accomplish its goal. Throughout the 2000s, teams rarely averaged over 100 points per game, but in the 2010s, the average score across the NBA was over 100 points seven out of the 10 seasons. An emphasis on team play can definitely be connected to that increased scoring, but that doesn't take credit away from individuals who have exploded on offense over the last decade.
Do you know the players who sit at the top of the scoring list during the 2010s? Whether they were strictly offensive juggernauts or two-way superstars, these players have been entertaining fans with their scoring year after year. Take this quiz and find out if you know where they sit on the NBA leader boards.
Kevin Durant
Kobe Bryant
Carmelo Anthony
LeBron James
LeBron James showed just how great of a scorer he can be in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals. Facing off against the Golden State Warriors, who had a loaded roster, James was virtually unstoppable as he scored 51 of his team's 114 points.
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Stephen Curry
Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant has four NBA scoring titles, so it's no surprise that he has been one of the league's top offensive talents throughout the decade. However, he did have to sacrifice some of his numbers when he joined the Golden State Warriors, as they were loaded with talent across the board.
Russell Westbrook
LaMarcus Aldridge
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James Harden
Between the 2013-14 season and the 2018-19 season, James Harden's points per game went up every single year. In 2019, Harden averaged a league-high 36.1 points per game while also dishing out 7.5 assists.
Stephen Curry
Dwyane Wade
Damian Lillard
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Kobe Bryant
Damian Lillard
Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook not only has the potential to score but can do a variety of things on the court. In 2017, he became the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double for a season, which he repeated the next two seasons as well.
Kemba Walker
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Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry basically broke basketball when he started shooting from everywhere beyond half court. His range beyond the three-point line meant defenders had to step out to guard him, which opened up the court for his teammates.
Klay Thompson
Chris Paul
Kyrie Irving
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Carmelo Anthony
LaMarcus Aldridge
Drafted in 2006, it took LaMarcus Aldridge a few seasons to find his game, but once the 2010s rolled around, Aldridge was one of the best scorers in the NBA. In the 2010-11 season, he averaged over 20 points for the first time in his career, a statistic he matched every year throughout the decade except two.
Blake Griffin
Dirk Nowitzki
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DeMarcus Cousins
Paul George
Paul Millsap
DeMar DeRozan
The only knock against DeMar DeRozan when it comes to offensive production is his three-point shot. While DeRozan averages 45 percent on field goals overall for his career, he only shoots 28 percent from the three.
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Kemba Walker
Damian Lillard
Carmelo Anthony
Despite being one of the most gifted scorers in NBA history, Carmelo Anthony only has one scoring title on his career, which he earned in 2013. That season, Anthony averaged 28.7 points per game while playing for the New York Knicks.
Blake Griffin
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Kobe Bryant
Dwyane Wade
After departing from the Miami Heat in 2016, Dwyane Wade returned to his former team to finish his career. Despite only starting two games in his final season, Wade averaged 15 points per game on his way out of the league.
Chris Paul
Rudy Gay
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DeMarcus Cousins
Brook Lopez
Blake Griffin
After missing his initial season with an injury, Blake Griffin exploded onto the scene during the 2010-11 season. Griffin was an immediate star around the rim, dunking ball after ball to average 22.5 points as a rookie.
Klay Thompson
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Paul George
Kyrie Irving
Monta Ellis
Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard showed off his full offensive arsenal during the 2019 NBA Playoffs, helping the Portland Trail Blazers reach the Western Conference Finals for his first time in his tenure with the team. During that run, Lillard averaged 26.9 points per game while also hitting several big shots to help his team advance.
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Dirk Nowitzki
During the 2011 NBA Playoffs, Dirk Nowitzki had one of the greatest playoff runs in NBA history. He finished that run by delivering the Dallas Mavericks the only title in franchise history.
Rudy Gay
Marc Gasol
Goran Dragic
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Kyrie Irving
Chris Paul
Kemba Walker
Drafted in 2011, Kemba Walker spent the entire decade playing for the Charlotte Hornets. Despite his individual success, the team only made the playoffs twice, so Walker and the Hornets decided to part ways following the 2018-19 season.
Lou Williams
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DeMarcus Cousins
Had DeMarcus Cousins not torn his ACL in 2018, he would probably be much higher on the list of the top scorers from the 2010s. After all, he was averaging over 25 points per game for three straight seasons, but the injury derailed his career.
Paul George
Brook Lopez
Kevin Love
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Monta Ellis
Klay Thompson
Most analysts thought Klay Thompson would have to make the biggest sacrifice when Kevin Durant joined the Golden State Warriors prior to the 2016-17 season. However, Durant's addition didn't affect Thompson's scoring total that year, as he averaged slightly more points than he did in the season prior.
Kyle Lowry
John Wall
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Rudy Gay
Paul Millsap
Dwight Howard
Paul George
Paul George suffered a devastating leg injury in the 2014 offseason that forced him to miss most of the next year. Luckily, a season removed from the injury, George was better than his former self and was even in the MVP conversation a few seasons later.
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Kyrie Irving
Chris Paul
Even though Chris Paul was one of the NBA's top scorers from the 2010s, scoring hasn't been his strong suit. Paul excels most when he's setting up teammates and even led the NBA in assists in four separate seasons.
Anthony Davis
Kyle Lowry
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Rudy Gay
When it comes to scoring, Rudy Gay had the best season of his career in 2014-15. That season, Gay shot 45 percent from the field, 36 percent from three-point range and averaged 21.1 points per game.
Kevin Love
Paul Millsap
Jamal Crawford
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Anthony Davis
Dwight Howard
Marc Gasol
Brook Lopez
For the first half of his career, Brook Lopez refused to shoot from the three-point line, which was typical for an NBA center. However, as the league evolved, Lopez evolved his game as well, and during the 2018-19 season, Lopez shot a career-best 35 percent from beyond the arc.
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Lou Williams
John Wall
Kyrie Irving
Playing beside LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kyrie Irving reached three straight NBA Finals between 2015 and 2017. He had his personal best playoff run in 2017 when he put up 25.9 points per game and 5.3 assists.
Mike Conley
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Lou Williams
Jrue Holiday
Monta Ellis
Monta Ellis was a superstar at Lanier High School in Mississippi, where he quickly became one of the biggest high school prospects in the nation. Rather than attending Mississippi State, where he had committed, Ellis decided to go straight to the NBA in 2005.
Jamal Crawford
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Kevin Love
No one sacrificed more to help the Cleveland Cavaliers win an NBA championship than Kevin Love when he came together with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in 2014. Before joining the Cavs, Love averaged 26.1 points per game. That total went down to 16.4 during his first season in Cleveland.
Dwight Howard
Anthony Davis
Marc Gasol
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Mike Conley
Thaddeus Young
Zach Randolph
Paul Millsap
Unlike some elite scorers who just want points, Paul Millsap tries his best to get quality shots rather than just throwing up ball after ball. His shot selection has earned him a .491 field goal percentage over the course of his career.
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Joe Johnson
Dwight Howard
When Dwight Howard entered the league in 2004, he was the ideal big man who could get the ball in the post and score underneath the basket. However, the NBA has gotten away from that in recent years, which meant Howard had to learn how to run the court and put back rebounds instead.
John Wall
Marc Gasol
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Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis' production on the court has earned him a place in six All-Star Games during the 2010s. In the 2017 All-Star Game, Davis exploded on offense, scoring 52 points to take home the All-Star Game MVP.
Kyle Lowry
Zach Randolph
Al Horford
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Jamal Crawford
John Wall
J.J. Redick
Lou Williams
Playing in a reserve role most of his career, Lou Williams is an immediate spark for any offense as soon as he hits the court. His play as a bench player has earned him three NBA Sixth Man of the Year awards.
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Goran Dragic
Marc Gasol
Marc Gasol's skillset goes well beyond the offensive side of the ball. More than a willing defender, Gasol was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 while also making the All-Defensive Team that year.
Pau Gasol
Tony Parker
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John Wall
Mike Conley
Kyle Lowry
The 2019 NBA Finals pitted the Toronto Raptors against the Golden State Warriors in a matchup that went six games with the Raptors coming out on top. Kyle Lowry was one of the best offensive weapons on the Raptors, averaging 16.2 points and 7.2 assists per game.
Jrue Holiday
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Thaddeus Young
Kobe Bryant
Joe Johnson
John Wall
Between the start of the 2017-18 season and the end of the 2018-19 season, John Wall only played in 73 regular season games. However, he was still a threat to score 20 points on any given night that he was on the court.
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Zach Randolph
Jamal Crawford
Few bench players in NBA history have been as gifted at scoring as Jamal Crawford, who has over 10,000 career points as a backup. However, he didn't really settle into that role until the 2009-10 season when he won his first of three NBA Sixth Man of the Year awards.
Bradley Beal
Al Jefferson
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Mike Conley
After 12 seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, Mike Conley finally departed the team after the 2018-19 season when it traded him to the Utah Jazz. The trade ended an era in Memphis, where Conley helped the team reach the playoffs on six occasions.
Jrue Holiday
Joe Johnson
J.J. Redick
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Zach Randolph
Wesley Matthews
Thaddeus Young
In 2013-14, Thaddeus Young had the best scoring season of his career playing for the Philadelphia 76ers. Starting 78 games that season, Young averaged 17.9 points per game on 45 percent shooting.
Pau Gasol
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Pau Gasol
Serge Ibaka
Eric Gordon
Goran Dragic
Goran Dragic had one of the best games of his career in Game 3 of the 2010 Western Conference Semifinals while playing for the Phoenix Suns. In the game, Dragic scored 23 points in the fourth quarter to help the Suns come back against the San Antonio Spurs.
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Wesley Matthews
Joe Johnson
Jrue Holiday
Jrue Holiday started the 2010s with the Philadelphia 76ers, where he came on strong in his final season with the team in 2012-13. Throughout the course of that season, he averaged 17.7 points and eight assists per game, earning his first and only All-Star selection.
Bradley Beal
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Zach Randolph
Even though Zach Randolph retired in 2019, he didn't see any playing time that season, as he was on two rosters that were looking to rebuild. However, the last time he saw action in 2017-18, Randolph averaged 14.5 points per game, showing just how much of an offensive threat he was during his career.
Pau Gasol
Al Horford
Al Jefferson
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Joe Johnson
Eric Gordon
J.J. Redick
While playing for the Duke Blue Devils from 2002 through 2006, J.J. Redick showed off his scoring prowess, becoming Duke's all-time leading scorer. For his contributions, Duke retired his jersey.
Jeff Teague
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Bradley Beal
Tyreke Evans
Wesley Matthews
For a player who went undrafted in 2009, Wesley Matthews sure has left his impact over the last decade in the NBA. The gifted shooting guard became a starter during his first season in the league and has remained in that role for most of his professional career.
Jeff Green
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Joe Johnson
Pau Gasol
Entering the league in 2001, Pau Gasol has spent nearly two decades in the NBA playing at a high level. Gasol was able to put himself at the top of the scoring list with a variety of offensive moves from midrange jumpers to hook shots.
Serge Ibaka
Gordon Hayward
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Kobe Bryant
A two-time scoring champion, Kobe Bryant retired from the NBA ranked in the top five on the all-time scoring list, finishing his career with 33,643 points. Known as the ultimate competitor, Bryant won his fifth NBA championship in 2010 to kick off the decade.
Bradley Beal
Tony Parker
Derrick Rose
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Al Jefferson
Eric Gordon
Jeff Green
Joe Johnson
Carrying the nickname "Iso Joe," Joe Johnson was never afraid to clear out a defense and go one on one with a defender. His skill on isolation plays made him a fan favorite with the Atlanta Hawks, where he made six of his seven All-Star Games.
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