After Bam Adebayo had an unlikely scoring barrage against the Washington Wizards a few weeks back, when the Miami Heat star poured in 83 points in a single game, it seems that reaching that same feat isn’t as impossible as it once seemed. Technically speaking, Adebayo set some sort of blueprint for every NBA player who wants to break Kobe Bryant’s 81-point masterclass or maybe even challenge Wilt Chamberlain’s legendary 100-point game.
But the question is, which player can do it? Here are four, in our estimation:
Victor Wembanyama
If there’s one thing that Victor Wembanyama has taught us, it’s that we still haven’t seen everything in basketball. He’s 7-foot-5 with an 8-foot wingspan—a literal giant compared to other players. Moreover, Wembanyama can score anywhere on the floor. Whether it be inside the paint, from midrange, or from the three-point line, the French superstar is an unstoppable force. If Adebayo scored 83 points with 43 shot attempts and 43 free throw attempts, just fathom how much Wembanyama would accrue with the same shot totals.
From a casual fan’s perspective, Wemby has all the offensive talent and physical tools to pull off a 100-point game. Well, he does. The question is—will he even care to break that kind of record, or will the Spurs give him the green light to do so? Perhaps we’ll never know until we see it.
Luka Doncic
When Kobe Bryant scored 81 points in 2006, nobody expected that someone would come close to even sniffing that record—not until Luka Doncic recorded 73 points against the Atlanta Hawks back in January 2024. It marked the highest-scoring game of the 2023-2024 season, even turning then-reigning MVP Joel Embiid’s career-high of 70 points moot. Even better, Luka Magic was scorching that night, shooting 25-of-33 from the field and 8-of-13 from three.
Seeing that kind of performance from a ball-dominant, versatile scorer like Doncic wasn’t surprising at all, which makes him a viable candidate to possibly break the 80-point milestone. Had he made more free throws, Doncic could have easily reached that mark two years ago. Doncic’s absurd six-game road run recently, where he scored 40 against the Houston Rockets and dropped 60 against Adebayo and the Heat in back-to-back games is further proof of Luka Magic’s inimitable scoring prowess.
Devin Booker
Just like Doncic, Devin Booker has also scored 70 points once, as a sophomore in 2017. Although it ended in a loss, that game will forever prove how amazing a scorer Booker is. What’s even more impressive is that the five-time All-Star hasn’t averaged more than 30 points per game in his 11-year career.
Known best for being a knockdown three-point shooter, D-Book can easily get hot from long range. After all, he is a former Three-Point Contest champion. It’s still surprising that his career-high in three-pointers made is only eight. Just imagine how much damage he’d inflict if he hit more than those eight threes in that 70-point performance.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
If there’s one guy who can surpass Adebayo’s 83 points, it’s definitely Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
At a quick glance, SGA’s offensive game has no evident flaws. He’s dangerous on the perimeter, unstoppable in transition, and can make his defenders pay from deep every now and then. Not only that, but he’s already notorious for being a “foul merchant,” which allows him to create more points at the free throw line.
The reigning MVP is currently averaging 31.6 points per game and could sustain that while achieving a near 50-40-90 season. If he’s going to flirt with more than 80, 90, or even 100, SGA will likely pressure defenders by continuously attacking and getting to the foul line every chance he gets. Even without that, he is already one of the best midrange shooters in the league, making him an unguardable scorer.
A Final Thought: Adebayo Showed Anything’s Possible
Adebayo’s 83-point explosion may have seemed improbable at first, but it has reopened the conversation around the league’s most untouchable scoring records. Whether it’s Wembanyama’s unprecedented physical tools, Doncic’s offensive command, Booker’s scoring bursts, or Gilgeous-Alexander’s relentless efficiency, each player presents a unique path to chasing history. Breaking 81—or even approaching 100—still demands a perfect storm of volume, efficiency, and opportunity. But if recent performances are any indication, it’s no longer a question of if such nights are possible—it’s a matter of who will seize it next.
