While the dunk contest isn’t everyone’s favorite competitions at the moment, no one is complaining about in-game dunks, especially those like DeAndre Jordan crushing little guards helplessly trying to block him and other notable aerial performers around the NBA.
Jordan, like Tyson Chandler and JaVale McGee, is one of the players who relies on dunking to get more than half of his points this season, while others like Blake Griffin and LeBron James, while known for their dunking in terms of frequency and quality, have other things to lean on as well.
Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks – 97
Every 9 shots (932 field goal attempts), Josh Smith tries to dunk one as well, making 97 of 100 this season for the Atlanta Hawks, with his 97% success ratio being the 11th best in the league among the top 100 most frequent dunkers.
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder – 97
One of every 11 shots Kevin Durant takes (1132 field goal attempts this season) is a dunk attempt, making 97 of his 101 attempts to dunk. His 96% success ratio is 20th among the league’s top 100 most frequent dunkers.
Andre Iguodala, Denver Nuggets – 100
Iguodala is 100 for 103 this season when attempting a dunk, 97.1%, which is 10th among the top 100 most frequent dunkers in the NBA. With 683 field goal attempts this season, he goes up for the easy yet impressive two points once on every 7 shots he takes.
Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets – 107
Faried didn’t really do great this season in the NBA Dunk contest, but he gets more than a third of his field goals through dunking, making 313 this season. He attempts a dunk (114) less than once every five shots (567), making 93.9% of them, ranked 35th in the league.
LeBron James, Miami Heat – 111
One of the more recognizable NBA visions in the last few seasons is LeBron James finishing a fast break with a powerful yet ordinary dunk (he keeps the special ones for the warm-up sessions) while a group of opponents chase him without a lot of hope. He’s 111-113 this season, attempting a dunk once every 10 shots more or less, with 1100 field goal attempts this season. His 98.9% success rate is the second highest in the NBA behind Nene, although he has only 32 dunk attempts this season.
Tyson Chandler, New York Knicks – 131
Chandler is 131 for 138 when going up for the dunk this season, making 94.9% of his attempts, putting him at 30th among the top 100. More than half of his field goals (242 made) have been from dunks, attempting one on less than every three shots he takes.
Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers – 135
Just over 39% of Dwight Howard’s field goals come from dunks this season for the Lakers, attempting one every 4.15 shots he takes. Howard makes 93.1% of his dunk attempts, 40th among the top 100 in the NBA.
DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles Clippers – 157
The man of the hour at the moment, with everybody wanting his alley oop dunk, crushing a guard about a foot shorter than him to be the dunk of the season. Jordan gets 57.3% of his field goals through dunks, and attempts one every 2.5 shots. He makes 89.2% of them this season, 70th among the top 100.
JaVale McGee, Denver Nuggets – 143
With 143 dunks in 159 attempts, McGee is ranked 60th among NBA dunkers, making 89.9% of his attempts. He takes one every 1.6 shots, and has scored 66.1% of his field goals this season through dunking.
Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers – 173
Although Blake Griffin has improved in quite a few areas of his game this season, he’s still mostly known for his aerial prowess, averaging 2.7 dunks per game. He makes 95.3% of them, good enough for 25th in the NBA among the top 100. He attempts one every five shots he takes.