Neither Jordan nor Kobe achieved it: Doncic threatens the NBA's wildest record

Luka Doncic is having one of the most spectacular season starts in NBA history. The Slovenian scored 53 points in the Los Angeles Lakers' 124-118 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, raising his scoring average to 40.1 points per game. This extraordinary figure allows him to pursue a record that seemed practically unattainable: averaging at least 40 points throughout an entire season, something no one has accomplished since Wilt Chamberlain in 1962-63.

Friday's exhibition at the Crypto.com Arena confirmed that Doncic is in an exceptional offensive moment. His performance, the highest individual scoring of this campaign, allowed the Lakers to add another win and maintain their excellent momentum. The Slovenian guard is taking absolute control of the Los Angeles offense and, after nine games, his numbers place him in a statistical dimension reserved for very few players in the history of the league.

“Luka is capable of doing things that maybe only a handful of players —or even no one else— can do in basketball,” acknowledged JJ Redick, coach of the Lakers.

The historical comparison is inevitable. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and James Harden came close to averaging 40 points in a season, but none succeeded. Chamberlain remains the only player to have surpassed that barrier, with averages of 50.4 points in the 1961-62 season and 44.8 in 1962-63.

Only Wilt Chamberlain surpasses Doncic's scoring start

The 361 points Doncic has accumulated in his first nine games of this season represent an extraordinary figure even within the historical standards of the NBA. According to ESPN Research, only Chamberlain managed to surpass that record in the same initial stretch of a campaign.

The legendary center scored 472 points in his first nine games of the 1962-63 season and another 455 during the same period of the previous season. Those two seasons ended with scoring averages that still seem unattainable today: 50.4 points per game in 1961-62 and 44.8 in 1962-63.

Doncic, for his part, has reached 40.1 points per game, the best average of his entire professional career. His personal record for a full season is 33.9 points, achieved with the Dallas Mavericks in 2023-24. Therefore, maintaining his current pace would mean significantly surpassing his best record and entering a historic category that has only been occupied by Chamberlain.

The figures of Jordan, Harden, and Bryant further emphasize what the Slovenian is achieving. Jordan's 37.1 points in 1986-87 represents the highest average in the NBA since the introduction of the three-point line. Harden reached 36.1 in 2018-19, the highest scoring output of the 21st century, while Bryant's 35.4 was the best average of a Lakers player since the merger between the NBA and ABA in 1976.

Thus, the question is no longer whether Doncic can have another extraordinary season, but whether he will be able to maintain such a pace for the 72 games still ahead.

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“As long as we keep winning, I'm fine with it”

Doncic himself is aware of the difficulty of maintaining such a high offensive output throughout the season. The 27-year-old player did not want to get carried away by the prospect of averaging 40 points and reminded that a huge part of the season still remains.

“It's a long season, obviously,” Doncic remarked. “We have played 10 games, and we have 72 left. As long as we keep winning, I’m fine with it. Today I shot a lot, I won't lie. I hope to keep it up, but you never know.”

His priority, at least publicly, continues to be that the Lakers maintain their winning momentum. However, his individual statistics reflect how much control he has taken over the Los Angeles offense. After LeBron James' departure to the Philadelphia 76ers during the offseason, Doncic has become the undisputed reference of the project.

Before Friday's game, the Slovenian was leading the NBA in points, field goals attempted, three-pointers attempted, and free throws attempted. He also topped the charts in usage rate, player efficiency rating, and win shares. This accumulation of statistical leadership shows that his influence goes far beyond his scoring ability.

He has already surpassed 50 points twice and threatens another Lakers record

The performance against Portland also allowed Doncic to reach 50 points for the second time this season. The Slovenian has already surpassed 40 points in six games and has accumulated 11 games of at least 50 points throughout his NBA career.

This figure ties him in the tenth position of the all-time ranking for games with 50 or more points. Among active players, he ranks fifth, only behind James Harden, Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, and LeBron James.

Furthermore, his exhibition against the Blazers had a historical component for the Lakers franchise. Doncic became the fourth Lakers player to score at least 40 points in four consecutive games, following in the footsteps of Kobe Bryant, Elgin Baylor, and George Mikan.

One of the most remarkable moments of the game came before halftime. Doncic hit a shot from about 19 feet at the buzzer, a key play to fuel the Lakers' comeback. His ability to produce from any position and take on difficult shots is making him a constant problem for opposing defenses.

The admiration for his performance is not limited to the Lakers' locker room. Micah Nori, head coach of the Blazers, had already highlighted his candidacy for the most important individual award of the season before the game.

“[Doncic] is the MVP right now,” Nori stated. “Without a doubt.”

The 53 points against Portland strengthen that argument and place the Slovenian at the center of the MVP race. However, the most ambitious challenge lies in maintaining his average above 40 points throughout the season. Chamberlain remains the only one to have achieved it, but Doncic has started the season with numbers that invite consideration of a possibility that seemed reserved for another era of the NBA.

The Lakers, meanwhile, continue winning and have a player who is posting extraordinary records. If he maintains this level, Doncic could not only complete the best scoring season of his career but also come close to one of the most challenging records in basketball history.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Ni Jordan ni Kobe lo consiguieron: Doncic amenaza el récord más salvaje de la NBA