The Association talks about Kevin Durant & James Harden as two of the NBA’s Top 10 all-time scorers.
The last month of the 2025 portion of the 2025-26 NBA calendar treated fans to plenty of stats moments and milestones, and more may be on the horizon to open 2026.
As the season enters its third full month, these stats milestones — on the league and team level — could be toppled as the new year begins. Below are 10 major individual (and several team) milestones to keep an eye out for in December.
Note: Players are listed in alphabetical order. All stats totals through Nov. 30, 2025
Player milestones for December
James Harden: Points and assists
In December, James Harden added to his lore by joining the Top 10 scorers list. Already entrenched in that club, Harden can now keep working on moving up the ranks in January. He needs 126 points to pass Shaquille O’Neal (28,596) for No. 9 in scoring. Once he passes O’Neal, Harden’s next milestone will be becoming the ninth member of the NBA’s 30,000-point club. He’ll need 1,404 points for that, a number he’s unlikely to pass before 2025-26 is through.
Last month, Harden also passed Andre Miller (8,524) for No. 12 all-time in assists and has 8,553 in his career. He’ll need 414 more assists before the season’s end to pass Gary Payton (8,966) at No. 11 and 509 more to pass Isiah Thomas (9,061) at No. 10.
Kevin Durant: Points, field goals and 3-pointers
Heading into December, Kevin Durant needed 480 points to pass Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) on the all-time scoring list. As January begins, that margin has shrunk, and he needs only 134 points to pass Chamberlain for No. 7 in NBA scoring annals. Once he does that, he won’t be far off from the No. 6 spot (Dirk Nowitzki) this season, as he’ll need 621 more points to surpass Nowitzki. Durant scored 346 points in December and he doesn’t even need to replicate that kind of production to pass Chamberlain in January.
Even closer than Chamberlain’s place on the scoring list for Durant is the next rung on the field goals list. Durant needs 187 more field goals made in January to pass Elvin Hayes (10,976) for No. 10 all-time. He made 122 field goals in December and he can make a sizeable dent in Hayes’ lead with a similar showing in January.
Lastly, Durant has 2,250 3-pointers in his career, which ranks 12th all-time. He’s within range of moving up there, too, as he needs 37 more 3-pointers in January to pass Jason Terry (2,282) for No. 11. He’ll only need nine more 3-pointers after passing Terry to supplant Vince Carter (2,290) for No. 10.
Russell Westbrook: Assists and points
Russell Westbrook continues to make headway on the NBA’s all-time assists list. His 10,157 assists rank No. 7, but he’s only 178 away from passing Mark Jackson (10,334) for No. 6. Once he passes Jackson, he’ll be within range of passing Steve Nash (10,335, No. 5) to move up to No. 5. Once he passes Nash, becoming the fifth player with 11,000 or more assists would be next on his list.
Additionally, Westbrook needs 27 points to pass Oscar Robertson (26,710) for 15th all-time. Once he passes Robertson, Westbrook will be a good distance away from No. 14 Hakeem Olajuwon (26,946 points; ahead by 263 points) and No. 13 Elvin Hayes (27,313, 630), but both are players he can surpass before 2025-26 ends.
Stephen Curry: Points
A scoring milestone is within reach this month for the former two-time Kia MVP winner Stephen Curry. He needs 293 points to pass Hall of Famer John Havlicek (26,395) for No. 20 in scoring. Once he gets ahead of Havlicek, the No. 19 spot held by Paul Pierce (26,397) is just three points ahead of Havlicek and No. 18 Tim Duncan (26,496) is 100 points ahead of Pierce. This season, Curry is scoring roughly 240 points per month, putting several of the names on this list within range for him.
Nikola Jokić: Triple-doubles
Nuggets big man Nikola Jokić has been on a triple-double tear this season, amassing 16 in the 32 games he’s played in 2025-26. However, Jokić is dealing with a left knee injury that will keep him out at least four weeks. If he returns late in January and his triple-double pace continues, he can keep moving up the all-time triple-doubles list. He needs two more to pass Oscar Robertson (181) for No. 2 all-time.
Team milestones for January
(Editor’s note: Teams lacking an entry means either do not have a player within a realistic range of moving up in a franchise’s statistical category in January 2025, or there is not a notable stats milestone ranking within range in January — such as going from No. 12 to No. 11 in ppg. All totals through Dec. 31, 2025.)
Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young
Guard Trae Young is healthy again after missing 21 games from Nov. 2 to Dec. 18 with an MCL strain. He’s No. 6 on the team’s all-time scoring list and needs to score at least 209 points in December to pass John Drew (12,621) for No. 5. Young scored 104 points in five games in December and a full month of production like that means he’ll have a good shot at passing Drew this month.
Boston Celtics: Jaylen Brown
Boston swingman Jaylen Brown is tied with injured teammate Jayson Tatum for No. 10 on the team’s all-time steals list, but can jet ahead of him this month. Brown is eight steals from passing Hall of Famer Dennis Johnson (654) for No. 9 on the franchise’s steals list. Once he overtakes Johnson, next on his list will be Danny Ainge (671) at the No. 8 spot.
Charlotte Hornets: LaMelo Ball & Miles Bridges
All-Star guard LaMelo Ball has 1,900 career assists with the Hornets, which ranks No. 5. He’s 12 assists away from passing David Wesley (1,911) for No. 4. Ball has posted at least 51 assists each month this season, so getting past Wesley and eyeing Raymond Felton (2,573) for No. 4 seems like a near given in January. Miles Bridges (456 games) needs two more games to move to No. 5 in games played with the Hornets, supplanting Bismack Biyombo (457) and is 12 behind Cody Zeller (467) for No. 4. Aside from that, Bridges is also 127 points away from passing Larry Johnson (7,405) for No. 4 on the team’s all-time scoring list. He scored 188 points last month and had 357 points in November, so passing “Grandmama” is more than possible.
Chicago Bulls: Nikola Vučević
Bulls center Nikola Vučević enters January five blocks away from passing Luc Longley for No. 15 (278) on the team’s all-time list. Vučević isn’t known for his defense, but he had six blocks in November and another seven in December, so he’s (slowly) making his way toward Longley’s spot.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Evan Mobley & Jarrett Allen
Big man Evan Mobley needed a block in December to pass Jim Chones for No. 6 in that category. He more than got that and is just four blocks from Tristan Thompson for No. 5 in blocks. The reigning Kia Defensive Player of the Year has recorded at least 11 blocks each month and had 19 in December, putting Thompson’s mark within range in January. Mobley’s frontcourt teammate, Jarrett Allen, is No. 9 in blocks and needs 28 more to pass Roy Hinson (430) for No. 8.
LA Clippers: Kawhi Leonard
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard has a Top 10 spot in the team’s all-time scoring list. Leonard needs 27 points to pass Danny Manning (7,120) for the No. 7 spot. He is also 11 steals away from passing Blake Griffin (468) for No. 6 on the steals list. This season, Leonard has recorded at least 119 points per month and at least nine steals per month. A similar level of production in January will push him past Manning in scoring and ahead of Griffin in steals, too.
Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant
All-Star guard Ja Morant is closing in on a Top 10 spot in another category in team lore. He enters January three steals away from passing O.J. Mayo (333) for No. 10 in that category. Last month, Morant totaled four steals, and given his improving health, passing Mayo should be a near-given in January.
Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo
What records in Milwaukee doesn’t Giannis Antetokounmpo own? There aren’t many, but one category he’s outside the Top 5 in is 3-pointers made. However, Antetokounmpo (who is No. 7 in 3-pointers with 553) is two away from passing Pat Connaughton (585) for No. 5 in that category. He entered December trailing him by 34 3-pointers and missed eight games with injury last month, but if he’s healthy, a run at Connaugton’s mark in January seems likely.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards & Rudy Gobert
Swingman Anthony Edwards is known for his finishes at the rim and ability to rack up steals, among other things. He’s also a capable rebounder and can move into the team’s Top 10 in rebounds this month. Edwards needs at least 10 rebounds to supplant Al Jefferson (2,162) for No. 10 in that stat. Last month, Edwards posted 64 rebounds, and another month like that will get him past Jefferson.
Additionally, Edwards can move into the team’s Top 5 in free-throw attempts and free throws made in January. Edwards needs three more free throws to pass Andrew Wiggins (1,754) for No. 5 in that stat and needs 73 more free-throw attempts to pass Sam Mitchell (2,250) for No. 5 in that category. Last month, Edwards was 69-for-87 at the line, and a similar type of showing in January will more than do the trick.
Center Rudy Gobert is in his fourth season with Minnesota, but is already No. 4 in team history in blocks and can move into the Top 5 in rebounding this month. Gobert needs 77 rebounds in January to supplant Sam Mitchell (2,038) for No. 5 and is within range of No. 4 as well. Once Gobert passes Mitchell, he will be 38 rebounds behind Gorgui Dieng (2,137) for No. 4.
New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson & Trey Murphy III
Forward Zion Williamson is already in the team’s Top 10 in assists and steals, but can move up a peg this month in that category. He needs 59 more assists to pass David West (1,042) for No. 7. Should Williamson have a good month of passing, he could make a run at No. 6 Greivis Vasquez (1,063) before January is up.
Trey Murphy III is closing in on the No. 1 spot in team lore in 3-pointers made and attempted. Murphy is four 3-pointers behind CJ McCollum (692) for No. 1 and 17 3-point attempts behind Jrue Holiday (1,817) for No. 1 in 3-point attempts. Last month, Murphy shot 33-for-84 on 3-pointers and can essentially grab both of these records by early or mid-January, given similar such production.
New York Knicks: Jalen Brunson
Knicks star Jalen Brunson is known for his ability to score, whether it’s at the rim, from 3-point range or in the clutch. A chance to move up in that second category is within range this month as Brunson needs eight more 3-pointers to pass Charlie Ward (598) for No. 5 in 3-pointers made. Making 3-pointers is nearly second nature to Brunson as he shot 47-for-116 in December and is a lock to not only pass Ward, but pressure Jamal Crawford (No. 5, 600-for-1,698 on 3-pointers) and Julius Randle (No. 4, 638-for-1,890) in both categories.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Reigning Kia MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t reach his star status by only being a scorer. He’s a gifted playmaker (6.4 apg this season) and is in the Thunder’s Top 10 in all-time assists. He can move further up the charts this month as he needs 43 assists to pass Hall of Famer Jack Sikma (2,345) for No. 8 and needs 61 assists to pass OKC legend Kevin Durant (2,363) for No. 7. Gilgeous-Alexander has posted at least 34 assists each month this season and posted 73 assists in December and there’s no reason to expect him to slow down in January.
Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid & Tyrese Maxey
Injuries have sapped Joel Embiid of consistent playing time this season, but he’s on the uptick and needs one more block to break his tie with Theo Ratliff (757) for No. 4 in that stat. Embiid then has a long road to reach No. 3 as he needs 170 more blocks to surpass Caldwell Jones (926).
Star guard Tyrese Maxey passed Robert Covington in 3-point attempts last month. This month, he’s got a chance to make a run at No. 1 in 3-pointers made. Maxey needs 84 more 3-pointers in January to pass Hall of Famer Allen Iverson (885) for the top spot. He won’t get that total in January alone, but given he shot 35-for-83 in December and 49-for-138 in November, the odds favor Maxey making a decent dent in Iverson’s lead.
San Antonio Spurs: Victor Wembanyama
Three seasons into his career in San Antonio and Victor Wembanyama is moving up the team’s all-time blocks list. Wembanyama is 22 blocks away from passing George Johnson (512) for No. 6 on the all-time blocks list. Once he passes Johnson, he’ll be 31 blocks away from the No. 5 spot (Billy Paultz, 543). Wembanyama has posted at least 16 blocks each month this season (he had 18 in December), and if he’s fully healthy, Paultz’s spot at No. 5 may not last for long.
More milestones to watch for this season
In January, DeMar DeRozan can move further up on the NBA’s all-time field goals made list.
Coaches
- Bucks coach Doc Rivers needs 35 wins to pass Pat Riley (1,210) for No. 5 all-time.
Players
Eastern Conference:
- Sixers guard Kyle Lowry needs 55 assists (7,102) to pass Terry Porter (7,160) for 18th all-time
Western Conference:
- Clippers center Brook Lopez needs two blocks to pass Manute Bol (2,086) for No. 16 all-time
- Kings guard/forward DeMar DeRozan needs 12 more field goals to pass Vince Carter (9,293) for 23rd all-time.
- Lakers forward LeBron James needs 35 games played to pass Robert Parish for No. 1 all-time and needs 236 more field goals to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for No. 1 all-time. He can also move to No. 5 in steals (needs 86 more), No. 3 in assists (needs 410 more) and No. 24 in rebounding (needs 98 more).
- Mavs forward/center Anthony Davis needs 694 points this season to reach 20,000 in his career
- Mavs guard Klay Thompson needs 23 3-pointers (2,850) to pass Damian Lillard (2,904) for fourth all-time
- Timberwolves guard Mike Conley needs 19 more 3-pointers to pass Joe Johnson (1,978) for 21st all-time
- Warriors center/forward Al Horford needs 193 points to reach 15,000 in his career
