“He’s efficient like Jordan, relentless like Kobe” – Kendrick Perkins says SGA has become the best scorer in the NBA originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has simply been scintillating in the 2025 NBA playoffs, averaging 30.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game in 18 postseason contests so far.
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In Game 2 of the NBA Finals, SGA scored 34 points on the Indiana Pacers, and the Thunder evened up the series heading to Wednesday’s Game 3 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
With how he’s performed, ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins says that the 2025 NBA MVP has overtaken Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant as the best scorer in basketball.
“He’s the best perimeter player in basketball,” said Perk on “NBA Today”. “He’s knocking at the door of being the best player in basketball. He’s efficient like Jordan, relentless like Kobe. When it comes down to how he attacks and how efficient he is, especially from the midrange. When you talk about the guy that’s leading the postseason in midrange jump shots, that’s him.”
SGA has dethroned KD
After leading the league in scoring at a career-high 32.7 points per game during the regular season, Gilgeous-Aleander has continued his scoring spree in the postseason. After Game 1, he became only the 11th player in NBA history with 12 or more 30-point games in a single postseason. Following Game 2, the Canadian became only the 8th player in NBA Finals history to start his Finals career with back-to-back 30-point games.
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SGA’s cumulative 72 points after the first two games of the Finals are the most ever by a player in his first two NBA Finals games, passing the 71 set by Allen Iverson in 2001. Shai is also the first player since Wilt Chamberlain to drop 30-on or more points in nine consecutive home games in the playoffs. What’s more impressive is that he’s scoring in a variety of ways.
“6”6″ long arms, can post you up, however you want it, is gonna create space, turns round over both shoulders. He’s dethroned Kevin Durant, in my opinion, right now as the best scorer in the league. He has zero flaws,” added Perkins.
The gold standard in bucket-getting
Durant has always been considered the best scorer in the NBA because of his length, athleticism, smooth shooting stroke, and efficiency. With guard-like ball-handling skills and three-level scoring, the 7-foot KD is virtually impossible to stop on offense.
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The soon-to-be 37-year-old continues to show that he is one of the best when it comes to getting buckets. After an impressive offensive display at the Paris Olympics last summer, KD averaged 26.6 points per game with shooting splits of .527/.430/.839 this season, but his Phoenix Suns team did not make the playoffs.
Make no mistake, this has been SGA’s season. After winning the scoring title, he was named league MVP. Now, he has a chance to win the NBA championship and become Finals MVP while setting scoring records along the way. There is no doubt he is having one of the best offensive seasons ever. However, it may be too premature to put him ahead of KD in that department. But then again, “Big Perk” isn’t a fan of his former teammate.
Related: “Every game is a reset” – SGA doesn’t think the Thunder have the momentum heading to Game 3
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.