Big milestones to watch across the NBA in 2026-27 season

After passing Michael Jordan last season, Kevin Durant is just 1,047 points from leaping Kobe for 4th on the scoring list.

With the 2026-27 NBA season underway in preseason, players are already getting back on the court and gearing up for another year of record chasing.

From career milestones to franchise records, here are some of the biggest achievements to keep an eye on this season.

Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant enters his 20th NBA season with several major milestones in reach. He is 1,047 points away from passing Kobe Bryant for fourth on the NBA’s

all-time scoring list

and needs just 73 field goals to move past Shaquille O’Neal for seventh all-time.

Durant is also one 40-point game away from becoming the 10th player in NBA history with at least 75 such performances in the regular season.

Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokić is closing in on several historic triple-double milestones. He needs just two more to become the second player in NBA history to record 200 regular-season triple-doubles, joining Russell Westbrook. Jokić is also 12 away from passing Westbrook for the most regular-season triple-doubles and one away from taking the lead in combined regular-season and postseason triple-doubles.

The 3-time MVP is also approaching major career milestones in scoring, rebounding and assists. He is 1,991 points away from 20,000 career points, 1,023 rebounds shy of 10,000 and 920 assists away from 7,000. Reaching all three marks would make him just the second player in NBA history, alongside LeBron James, to record at least 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 7,000 assists.

LeBron James

LeBron James enters his record-setting 24th NBA season with several more milestones in sight. He is 560 points away from reaching 44,000 regular-season points and 1,560 away from becoming the first player to reach 45,000. After scoring 1,256 points across 60 games last season, James will look to continue adding to his all-time scoring record.

James is also closing in on major milestones in assists, steals and wins. He needs 76 assists to pass Jason Kidd for third on the NBA’s

all-time assists list

and 537 to pass Chris Paul for second.

He is 29 steals away from passing Gary Payton for fifth all-time in that category and 27 regular-season wins away from passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most in NBA history.

Stephen Curry

Another historic shooting milestone is within reach for Stephen Curry, who has made 4,898 career 3-pointers across the regular season and playoffs. He needs just 102 more to become the first player in NBA history to reach 5,000 career 3-pointers, adding another achievement to his already unmatched shooting legacy.

James Harden

James Harden is closing in on two major career milestones this season. He is 661 points away from reaching 30,000 career points, which would make him the ninth player in NBA history to reach the mark.

Harden also needs 189 assists to pass Isiah Thomas for 10th on the NBA’s all-time assists list.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Coming off back-to-back Kia MVP seasons, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has another impressive milestone in sight: He needs 10 more consecutive 20-point games to reach 150 straight, extending one of the NBA’s most remarkable scoring streaks.

Trae Young

Trae Young is just nine games away from reaching a rare milestone. He would become the fifth player to record 100 career games with at least 30 points and 10 assists, joining Oscar Robertson, James Harden, LeBron James and Luka Dončić.

Klay Thompson

One of the NBA’s greatest shooters, Klay Thompson is within 75 3-pointers of passing Ray Allen for third on the league’s all-time list. Reaching the milestone would put Thompson behind only Curry and James Harden.

Stephen Curry and DeMar DeRozan

Two veteran scorers are approaching the 27,000-point milestone. DeMar DeRozan has 26,711 regular-season points and needs 289 more to reach the mark, while Curry has 26,528 and is 472 points away. Both are within reach of joining the exclusive 27,000-point club.

Brook Lopez

Brook Lopez is 82 blocks away from passing Dwight Howard (2,228) for 13th on the NBA’s all-time blocks list. The veteran big man has remained a consistent presence as a rim protector throughout his career and has a chance to climb another spot on the league’s all-time leaderboard this season.

Team milestones

Jayson Tatum

Several Celtics records are within reach for Jayson Tatum this season. He is 17 30-point games away from passing John Havlicek for third-most in franchise history and needs one more 40-point game to join Larry Bird as the only Celtics with at least 30 such performances.

Tatum is also 13 20-point games away from reaching 400, which would make him just the fifth player in franchise history to hit that mark. He is 391 points away from passing Bill Russell for seventh on Boston’s all-time scoring list and 231 3-pointers away from passing Paul Pierce for the most in Celtics history.

Victor Wembanyama

Already one of the NBA’s most dominant rim protectors, Victor Wembanyama has 627 career regular-season blocks and needs 74 more to move into third on the Spurs’ all-time list. He led the NBA with 3.1 blocks per game in 2025-26 and is chasing a spot alongside franchise legends David Robinson and Tim Duncan.

Donovan Mitchell

Seven-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell is 626 points away from passing Kevin Love (7,663) for 10th on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ all-time scoring list. He averaged 27.9 points per game last season, the seventh-highest mark in the NBA, and has a chance to add another milestone to his tenure in Cleveland.

Bam Adebayo

A franchise rebounding record is within reach for Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo, who needs just 36 rebounds to pass Udonis Haslem for the most in team history. The milestone would mark another major achievement in Adebayo’s tenure in Miami.

Devin Booker

Devin Booker continues to climb the Phoenix Suns’ all-time leaderboards, with several franchise milestones in reach this season. He is 203 field goals away from passing Walter Davis for the most in team history, eight games away from passing Steve Nash for third in games played and 30 games away from moving into second. Booker is also 1,880 points away from reaching 20,000 career points.

Draymond Green

A defensive staple in Golden State, Draymond Green is 117 steals away from moving into second on the Warriors’ all-time list. The 4-time All-Star would pass Chris Mullin and trail only longtime teammate Stephen Curry in franchise history.

Anthony Edwards

Anthony Edwards is 2,268 points away from passing Karl-Anthony Towns for second on the Minnesota Timberwolves’ all-time scoring list. Still early in his career, Edwards has a chance to keep climbing the franchise leaderboard and move closer to Kevin Garnett’s team record.

Cade Cunningham

A spot higher on the Pistons’ all-time assists list is within reach for Cade Cunningham, who needs just 93 assists to pass Bob Lanier for eighth in franchise history. The milestone would add to Cunningham’s growing legacy as one of Detroit’s premier playmakers.

Jalen Brunson

The 2026 NBA Finals MVP is making his way up the Knicks’ all-time scoring leaderboard, sitting 1,755 points away from breaking into the franchise’s top 10. After scoring 1,927 points last season, Jalen Brunson has a chance to reach the milestone this year.

Paolo Banchero

Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero is 573 points away from breaking into the franchise’s top 10 in career scoring. Reaching the mark would be another milestone for the former No. 1 overall pick as he continues to build his legacy in Orlando.

Tyrese Maxey

Two major scoring milestones are in sight for 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey this season. He is 1,241 points away from passing Andre Iguodala for 10th on Philadelphia’s all-time scoring list and 1,818 points shy of reaching 10,000 career points.