The 2025-26 NBA season was one of the craziest seasons I have ever had the pleasure of following, and it was defined by 1 thing: mindblowing statistics. This year, different players controlled in different areas, scoring, playmaking, defense, and efficiency. No single player fully led everything, but some came close.
This season made something very clear: the modern NBA is a perfect balance between volume and efficiency, and the players that do this night in and night out are the ones who are rewarded the most. The question is, who truly dominated the season across traditional stats, advanced metrics, and team success?
Scoring Dominance (Volume vs Efficiency)
Luka Doncic, throughout all of the time missed and even suspensions, led the NBA in scoring for the 2nd time in 3 years. Scoring at a ridiculous rate, Luka Doncic led the NBA in scoring with 33.5 Points in only 64 games, leading to an absurd 2,143 total points, also the most in the NBA. Luka Doncic has the highest offensive burden in the league compared to the other players on this list.
While Luka Doncic led the NBA in Points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would still be the Scorer of the Year in my books. 31.1 Points on 55% Field Goal is not a laughable matter, because this places him in the record books, moving him up to 4th all time in 30+ PPG seasons while shooting 50%+ FG, putting him in the likes of Michael Jordan.
Although he has slowed down the volume this season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has played with more efficiency, showing his elite scoring impact. A great thing to note is that Luka Doncic averages 35.8 Minutes per game, 4th in the NBA, while 33.2, a 3.6 Minute difference.
This whole season, even though there have been so many players averaging more than 25 Points, it has been Luka Doncic vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the whole time. Anthony Edwards and Jaylen Brown make strong cases with 28.8 Points each, but neither is as efficient or volume-driven as the 2 MVP-Canadiates are.
All-Around Control (The Jokic Effect)
Nikola Jokic has slowly turned into the most statistically dominant player of the current generation, all while looking like he doesn’t even play basketball. Although he is only 3rd on the MVP ladder this Year, Jokic is more than deserving of the award just due to the sheer absurdity of his box scores.
Jokic leads the NBA in Rebounds, averaging 12.9 per game, an incredible feat and a testament to his ability to get boards, but when you take a step back, you realise that he is probably the best playmaker in the league as well, averaging a league-leading 10.7 Assists.
His complete control shows best when you start to show the advanced metrics, where he has a PER of 32, not only the highest mark in the NBA this season, but it sets the mark for the most seasons with a PER of 30+, breaking Giannis’ record of 5, but Jokic did it all consecutively.
Jokic has the unique ability to elevate his entire team, lifting them to new heights that many did not think Nikola Jokic could lift them to. He generates elite statistics efficiency night in and night out. Jokic isn’t a system player; he IS the system.
Victor Wemanyama is The NBA’s Best Defender?
Victor Wembanyama can consistently prove for 3 whole seasons that he is the best defender in the entire league. Averaging 3.1 Blocks per game, leading the NBA in blocks in each of his 1st 3 seasons. What impresses me the most is his high block rate, which sits at 9.4%, the most in the NBA since he was drafted in 2023.
The reason I put a question mark in the header of this section is that Wemby has recently been challenged for the title “League’s best defender.” That one player is Ausar Thompson, who has led the NBA in steals, getting 2 Steals a night.
Modern defense is now defined as rim protection as well as perimeter versatility, and players who can affect both sides of the court boost defensive ratings, scoring opportunities, and, most importantly and obviously, alter plays and stop opponents from scoring.
SHOOTING & SPACING (Modern NBA)
All the way back in the 2022-23 season, a rookie Keegan Murray set one of the most impressive records involving shooting ever, hitting 206 from deep, the most ever made by a rookie. This season, that record was shattered by one man: Kon Knueppel.
Not only did Knueppel set the record for most 3’s in a rookie season, but he did so efficiently. Kon averaged 7.9 3 Point attempts per game, making 42.5% of them. That 3 Point % is 14th all-time by a rookie, 9th this season. Knueppel also led the entire NBA in 3-pointers, becoming the 1st rookie to pull off such a feat.
Perhaps the most exciting part of all of this is that he is currently 2nd in the Rookie of the Year, with a real shot to take the award from the 1st overall pick Cooper Flagg. Kon averages 18.5 Points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 Assists per game, with a 63.3% True Shooting. It seems that spacing has now become the primary offensive weapon for players around the world.
Final Word
There is no single stat king across all aspects of the game. You have incredible scoring talents like Doncic and Edwards, Jokic brings his rebounding and all-around gameplay, while SGA and Wemby bring in winning and defense. You can’t put a single player in every single race, because it is impossible to be elite everywhere.
The 2026 NBA season was not defined by 1 player, let alone 1 team. It was formed by different types of dominance, because in today’s NBA, greatness isn’t just good at 1 stat; it is how many different ways you can be elite at and control the game.
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