20 individual milestones and records to watch for in Orlando

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LeBron James Carmelo Anthony

As the 2019-20 NBA season restart looms, so does a host of milestones and records waiting to be broken.

With eight regular-season 'seeding' games and the playoffs awaiting, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, and James Harden headline the 20 biggest milestones and records ready to fall in Orlando. 

Milestone watch in the playoffs

LeBron James

Let's start with LeBron James who can add to his historic postseason tally.

  • James has a chance to become the all-time leader in playoff games. He is currently fourth with 239, behind Robert Horry (244), Tim Duncan (251), and Derek Fisher (259). If the Lakers advance to deep into the playoffs, James will likely finish the season at No.1.
  • LeBron needs six playoff wins to climb to No.1 on the all-time list. He is currently third with 156, behind Tim Duncan (157) and Derek Fisher (161).
  • LeBron could also advance in career playoff three-pointers. He is currently 4th with 370, just four behind Klay Thompson (374) and 15 behind Ray Allen (385), while Steph Curry sits first (470).
  • LeBron is also closing in on some legends in all-time playoff assists. He is currently third with 1,687, needing 153 to pass John Stockton (1,839) for second. Magic Johnson remains far and away the all-time leader (2,346).
  • Already sixth overall in total playoff rebounds (359 shy of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), James is two shy from climbing into the top 20 in offensive boards. He's at 366, one behind David Robinson (367). 

  • James Harden needs eight three-pointers to pass Derek Fisher for 10th on the all-time list
  • Chris Paul needs just five steals to climb into the top 20 for payoff steals. He currently has 222, behind Byron Scott (226). James Harden sits 23rd (205).
  • Serge Ibaka is quietly rising the ranks on the all-time blocks list. He needs just seven to pass Kevin McHale (281) for eighth. In the 2019 postseason, Ibaka recorded 23 blocks.

  • Lastly, Carmelo Anthony needs 236 points to reach 2,000 career playoff points. He would become the 10th active player to reach that mark joining LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Chris Paul and Pau Gasol.

What's up for grabs in the regular season?

The eight 'seeding' games in Orlando will count towards the regular season which means players have more opportunities to reach individual milestones and move up the all-time lists.

  • A pair of players could enter the 10,000-point club: Jimmy Butler needs 177 points and Danilo Gallinari 223. Miami's All-Star swingman appears to have a better shot as he'll need to average 22.1 points in the remaining eight games, while Gallinari will need to average 27.9 points per game.
  • It is highly likely that Carmelo Anthony will climb into the top 15 on the NBA's all-time scoring list. He is currently 17th with 26,314 points, which puts him 81 points behind John Havlicek (16th) and 83 points from another former Boston forward in Paul Pierce (15th). In order to catch Tim Duncan (14th), Melo would need to score 182 points in the remaining eight games (22.8 per game).

  • Both Paul Millsap and Hassan Whiteside are on the cusp of 1,000 career blocks. Millsap needs just six while Whiteside is currently 15 shy.
  • Dwight Howard needs 108 boards to pass Hakeem Olajuwon for 13th on the NBA's all-time rebound list. He'll need to average 13.5 rebounds over the eight remaining games. It's not impossible, but he'll need a big jump in minutes to get there.
  • Another for Dwight: He needs 33 offensive rebounds to pass Duncan and enter the top 10 all-time. He currently has 3,827, while Duncan has 3,859.

  • James Harden — in the midst of leading the NBA in made free throws for the sixth straight season — needs 15 more to pass Reggie Miller for 15th all-time. Carmelo Anthony can crack the top 20 as he needs just four to pass Dominique Wilkins.
  • Several players are on track to reach 1,000 career 3-pointers: Andre Iguodala (2), CJ, McCollum (3), Goran Dragic (15), and Russell Westbrook (27).
  • Speaking of triples, Damian Lillard is just 29 3-pointers away from passing Peja Stojakovic (1,760) for 20th on the NBA's all-time list. Averaging 3.9 triples per game this season, he'll need just 3.6 per game to reach that mark. 

  • Al Horford needs 33 made field goals to reach 5,000 for his career. Currently averaging 4.8 makes per game, he should reach 5,000 with ease.
  • More for Melo: He's 10 made field goals away from passibg Moses Malone for 19th all-time.
  • Lou Williams is four games away from reaching 1,000 career games. Mike Scott (1) Will Barton (4), Dennis Schroder (6), and Kelly Olynyk (8) can all reach 500.

The views expressed here do not represent those of the NBA or its clubs.

Author(s)
Juan Estevez Photo

Juan es productor de contenido en las ediciones en español de The Sporting News.