5 Purest Scorers Currently in the NBA

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NBA basketball is all about putting the biscuit in the basket, scoring the rock more times than your adversaries.

It's why some of the purest scorers—those players that can score at will no matter what defense they face—are the most popular players in the NBA.

Pure scorers can shoot—from distance and close range—dribble and drive penetrate. They basically do everything in their power to put the ball in the hoop and help their team win.

These spectacular scorers are entertaining, electrifying, astonishing and amazing; they make the NBA world go around.

So who are the purest scorers in the NBA?

Let's take a look.

Kobe Bryant

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Once the most dangerous scorer in the league, Kobe Bryant can still fill up the hoop.

Kobe may not be as quick and as high-flying as he once was, but the man still brings it to every game. He's one of the top isolation players in the game, and he uses his smarts more than his athletic abilities to get around defenders and get to the hoop. He even has the legs to throw down a monstrous dunk here and there, as he showed last year.

Undoubtedly, though, Kobe's sweet shooting is his biggest asset. Bryant knocks down jumpers with ease, 15, 20 and even 30 feet from the hole.

Whether it be a set shot or a running jumper, Kobe knows how to score, and he's arguably the greatest clutch shooter of all time.

Carmelo Anthony

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Melo is oh so smooth.

Carmelo Anthony has been praised as the best pure scorer by Charles Barkley, because he straight-up dominates on the offensive end.

Melo is at his best when he has the ball in his hands, and more often than not, he uses it to find a way to score.

Anthony enjoys scoring in a variety of ways; he'll do the jab-step jumper or use the quick step to take the rock to the rim. Sure, Melo doesn't dunk as thunderously as others on this list, but he's spectacular at finger-rolling the ball into the hoop.

Anthony has also worked on his outside shooting in recent years; he has hit 35.4 percent of his three-pointers over the last four years.

LeBron James

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LeBron James is like a runaway train when he gets going down the hardwood.

At 6'8", 250 pounds, James is a behemoth, but his incredible athleticism is what makes him one of the greatest basketball players in the world.

LeBron really excels in the open court; he can quickly get from one end of the floor to the other, darting through the opponent's lane and throwing down a rim-rattling dunk.

James steals the show many times with his high-flying, beautiful basketball play, and he can take over the game with his pure athleticism, which makes him unstoppable when he is on.

Besides being the best at getting to the rack, James' shot is stellar. He hit over 50 percent of his field-goal attempts in each of the last two seasons. LeBron can also hit threes when needed. He's a truly complete offensive player and arguably the best scorer in the game today.

Dirk Nowitzki

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Dirk Nowitzki went from great shooter to legendary status in last year's NBA Finals.

Nowitzki took over games, even with a 104-degree fever, and led the Mavericks to their first NBA championship.

It's the way Nowitzki scores, by using his size and shielding off defenders to hit turnaround jumpers from mid-range at ease.

His shot is silky-smooth, and it's indefensible because of his height.

In fact, Nowitzki is the greatest three-point shooter over seven feet tall in the history of the league. He's so dominant from downtown, Larry Bird said he was humbled to be compared to Nowitzki.

Kevin Durant

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Kevin Durant is so tall, so lanky, that he doesn't look like your prototypical scorer.

But Durant's jumper is definitely deadly.

Durant can stop, pop and drop threes from the corner, the top of the arc or from 40 feet away.

The best part? He makes it look effortless every time.

Durant is the back-to-back NBA scoring champion, and when he won in 2009-10, he was the youngest ever to be the best scorer in the league.

And he's actually getting better as an all-around scorer.

How?

By driving the ball extremely effectively as of late, utilizing a crossover and breezing to the hoop with his long strides to finish easily with his long arms.

Durant's the purest scorer in the game, and he still has much room for improvement—certainly a scary thought for the rest of the league.

Who Do You Think Is the Purest Scorer in the NBA?

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Pure scorers can do everything on the offensive end of the court.

They attack the rim, post up if needed and shoot from anywhere in a variety of ways.

It shouldn't be missed that these pure scorers account for many of their points from the free-throw line, and all of them are among the best in the league from the charity stripe.

So who do you believe is the purest scorer? One of these men on the list, or perhaps another player altogether?

 

Rich Kurtzman is a freelance journalist actively seeking a career in journalism. Along with being your CSU Rams Examiner, Kurtzman writes for Blake Street Bulletin, Stadium Journey, Bleacher Report and Swoosh Nation.

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