I still remember sitting on my couch last season, watching Joel Embiid drop 59 points against the Utah Jazz, thinking to myself - this man is on another level entirely. The way he dominated the paint, hit those mid-range jumpers, and even stepped out for threes when needed showed why he ultimately claimed the scoring title. Embiid finished the 2022-2023 season averaging exactly 33.1 points per game, edging out Luka Dončić who put up 32.4 points nightly. What amazed me wasn't just the numbers though - it was how Embiid evolved his game year after year.
That evolution reminds me of something I heard from coach Jong Uichico during a podcast interview about player development. He mentioned about certain athletes, "But he is such learning player na makaka-adjust naman siya as the conference goes along." This Filipino phrase roughly translates to describing someone as a quick learner who adapts as the season progresses. That's exactly what separates great scorers from temporary hot hands - their ability to adapt when defenses figure them out. I've seen so many flash-in-the-pan scorers who start strong but fade when teams develop counter strategies against them. The true elites like Embiid and Dončić? They keep adding layers to their game.
Take Luka Dončić for instance - when I watched him play against the Suns in January, Phoenix threw double teams at him every possession in the fourth quarter. Instead of forcing bad shots, he started making these incredible cross-court passes that led to open threes. He finished with only 25 points that night but recorded 18 assists. That's the kind of adjustment Uichico was talking about - recognizing what the defense gives you and exploiting it. Dončić could have stubbornly kept hunting his shot, but he understood that winning required adapting his approach.
The third spot in scoring rankings went to Damian Lillard with 32.2 points per game, and watching him throughout the season felt like witnessing a master class in offensive versatility. I recall specifically a game where Portland was missing two starters, and Milwaukee decided to blitz every pick-and-roll involving Lillard. For the first half, it worked - he had just 12 points. But coming out of halftime, he started using off-ball screens and cutting backdoor for easy layups. By game's end, he'd dropped 40 points. That adaptability, that willingness to find new ways to score when his primary options got taken away - that's what makes perennial scoring threats so special.
What fascinates me about scoring titles is how they've evolved over the years. Back when I started watching basketball in the early 2000s, averaging 30 points felt almost mythical. Now we had six players averaging 30+ points last season! The game has changed so much, and the best scorers have adapted accordingly. They've expanded their range, developed more sophisticated footwork, and most importantly - they've become students of the game. They watch film, identify defensive tendencies, and constantly add new counters to their arsenal.
Giannis Antetokounmpo finished fourth with 31.1 points per game, and his development epitomizes this learning mentality. Remember when teams would just back off and dare him to shoot? He's significantly improved his post game and face-up arsenal since then. Now he's punishing those defensive schemes with powerful drives and developing a reliable turnaround jumper. That growth mindset is exactly what separates temporary scoring bursts from sustained excellence.
The scoring race this season was particularly thrilling because it wasn't just about individual brilliance - it reflected how each player's scoring impacted team success. Embiid's scoring propelled Philadelphia to the third seed in the East, while Dončić's offensive explosions kept Dallas in playoff contention despite defensive struggles. That context matters when evaluating scoring leaders. It's not just about putting up big numbers on losing teams - the most impressive scorers elevate everyone around them while filling up the stat sheet.
Looking at the complete top ten, what stood out to me was the diversity of scoring styles. You had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at fifth with 31.0 points per game, using his incredible change of pace and crafty finishes. Then Jayson Tatum at sixth with 30.1 points, leveraging his size and improved shot creation. Each brought something unique to the table, yet all shared that common trait of being quick studies who adjusted throughout the season.
As Uichico's insight suggests, the ability to learn and adapt separates the true scoring greats. I've been watching basketball for over twenty years now, and the pattern holds true - the players who remain at the top year after year aren't necessarily the most physically gifted (though that helps), but rather those who approach the game with a student's mentality. They recognize that defenses will eventually solve for their current strengths, so they're always working on developing new ones. That continuous evolution, that willingness to be "such learning players" as the conference goes along - that's what ultimately determines who tops the scoring leaders each season.
