The Whiteboard: Who will join Kevin Durant in the 30k club next?

On Tuesday night, after making two free throws late in the third quarter, Kevin Durant walked to the bench as the Phoenix crowd erupted. Durant waived, acknowledging their celebration of his passing 30,000 career points, a rich achievement only seven other NBA players have ever reached.

“I’ve always been inspired by the greats,” Durant told reporters after the Phoenix Suns’ 119-112 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. “I wanted to reach their level. To be in their company is just surreal.”

Durant, 36, joins LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michale Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki and Wilt Chamberlain as the only eight players in the 30,000 points club.

It’s an exclusive club that even some of the league’s great scorers couldn’t crack because it requires a combination of indisputable talent, longevity and durability. 

Shaquille O’Neal got close but fizzled late in his career. Ditto for Carmelo Anthony. Oscar Robertson, for all of his ground-breaking statistical feats, played only 10 seasons at an elite level and retired after 14 – not enough.

Players like Durant started their careers as top scorers, maintained that productivity for a decade, and then continued to do it for another half decade (or, in LeBron’s case, another whole decade).

Durant and LeBron were at least 75% to 30,000 career points at 30 years old. Durant totaled at least 2,000 points in six of his first 12 seasons. LeBron did it nine times before his 30th birthday.

Being a great scorer doesn’t guarantee entry into this club. As Durant waived to the crowd, I couldn’t help but wonder who might join as the ninth member. Here are a few players who have a shot:

Longshots to score 30k points

• James Harden, 35, should finish this season with around 27,5000 career points. Will he play three more seasons, averaging 20 points per game? Harden is durable and will get his shots up, but his efficiency has dipped and he doesn’t get to the line as much. My guess is he ends up settling near Shaq and Carmelo, on the outside looking in.
• Steph Curry will be 37 next month and while he’s still playing at a high level, he would have to average 30 points and play a ton of games from now until he’s 40 to crack 30k. It’s a shame that he basically lost two seasons to injury, or else this would be more realistic.
• Nikola Jokic didn’t have his first 2,000-point season until he was 26 and is on track for his first 30-point-per-game season of his career. He’s never been a score-first player. At 29, does he have seven straight 2,000-point seasons in him? (Is he even interested in playing seven more NBA seasons?) Jokic is a lot of things, but he doesn’t approach the game like a 30,000-point scorer. And that’s fine with us.
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is only 26 and is on pace to average 30 points for his third straight season, but he got off to a slower start to his career than his contemporaries. He should reach 11,000 career points by the end of this season. Can he maintain this level of play – 30 points per game – for eight or nine more seasons? That’s a stretch. But if SGA plays until he’s 40, he could have a chance.

There’s a chance at 30k points

• Durant’s teammate, Devin Booker, is on pace for his first 2,000-point season and for the most games he has played since his rookie year. He needs two more 2,000 point-season over the next two years to get on track. Then, if Booker stays healthy and plays deep into his 30s, he’s got a shot at 30,000.
• Giannis Antetokounmpo, 30, will reach 21,000 career points by the end of this season. He has never been better as a scorer, averaging 30 points over the last four seasons. With players of his size, longevity is the main concern. But Giannis is built more like LeBron than Shaq. The biggest question is whether he will need to develop an outside jumper as his athleticism declines. But Giannis could crack 30k by 35 or 36 years old.
• Victor Wembanyama: It's early, but it feels wrong to keep him off of any of these kinds of lists.

On pace to hit 30k

• Jayson Tatum is quietly putting together an all-time resumé and has all the requirements — indisputable talent, longevity and durability — of a 30k Club Member. At 26, he is on pace for four straight seasons near or beyond 2,000 points. If he notches a couple more 2,000-point seasons and maintains his durability, he should be there by 35.
• Luka Doncic reached 11,000 points by the time he was 24 years old. He has scored at least 1,700 points every year since his rookie season and should still reach 1,600 this season despite the injuries. If he can maintain this pace, even when playing next to LeBron for a couple of years, he should get to 30,000 by the time he’s 33 or 34. (LeBron reached it at 33.) The biggest question for Luka is his durability. He hasn’t played more than 70 games in a season since his rookie year. Still, the beginning of his career set him up with a path to 30,000. But the only way he joins LeBron in the 40,000 club is if he learns to take care of his body like his new Lakers teammate.

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NBA news roundup

• Days after getting traded from the New Orleans Pelicans, Brandon Ingram has agreed to a three-year, $120 million extension with the Toronto Raptors. Ingram hasn’t played for two months because of a sprained left ankle, but Toronto prevents Ingram from entering free agency this summer. Good for them?

• Down two with 10 seconds left, Joel Embiid curiously passed up a wide-open (and I mean WIDE open) 3-pointer to drive into Toronto’s defense. He then turned the ball over and fumbled away the Philadelphia 76ers chance to win the game.

• The Lakers signed center Alex Len and waived Christian Wood, bolstering their depth after backing out of their deal for Charlotte Hornets big man Mark Williams. Len was reportedly ready to sign with the Indiana Pacers before the Lakers swooped in.

• Speaking of centers, Mavericks center Daniel Gafford will miss at least two weeks with a sprained right knee he suffered in this week’s loss to the Sacramento Kings. Gafford joins Dereck Lively II, Anthony Davis and Dwight Powell on the Mavericks’ injury report. 

Player spotlight: Trey Murphy III is happening

This has mostly been a lost season for the New Orleans Pelicans but, if you’re looking for a reason to tune into tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings, look no further than Trey Murphy III.

Over the last six games, Murphy has averaged 30.2 points on 59.8 percent shooting (57.7 percent on 3s), 5.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists. Only Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic scored more.

Murphy is quietly developing into the complete package. He can get to the basket, make plays for others and comfortably pull up into long 3s. He had 23 against Oklahoma City’s top-ranked defense on Monday and showcased why Pelicans fans are excited about his future.

Because of Zion Williamson’s inconsistent availability, the Pelicans have been forced to update Murphy’s job description.He isn’t just a complementary cog catching and shooting off Zion’s paint touches. 

The Pelicans are getting the ball to Murphy in early offense and allowing him to make decisions out of the pick-and-roll. Go under the screen, and Murphy won’t hesitate to pull up from deep.

Go over, and he will use his long strides to get to the basket.

Murphy isn’t a terribly creative passer, but at 6-foot-8 he can see over the defense and makes the simple reads.

Considering New Orleans’ murky future, Murphy’s development is a rare silver lining in an otherwise disappointing season. Whatever comes next for the Pelicans, Murphy should be a big part of it.