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Efficiency is becoming a major theme in the NBA, and these standout performers highlight why understanding real-life scoring trends can be just as important as checking fantasy basketball rankings. As offenses evolve and NBA lineups continue to shift due to injuries and rotations, managers need to track which players are converting at elite clips. In this article, we break down two efficient scorers at each position, using updated stats, roles, and context to help you make smarter decisions—whether you're setting lineups, reviewing NBA projections, or planning long-term strategy.

Centers

Rudy Gobert is working on the most offensively efficient season of his career, shooting a career-best 73.6 percent from the field. He does well to stick to his strengths, with almost all of his shots coming from within a few feet of the basket, where he waits for feeds from teammates or opportune chances off the glass. He is averaging 11.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, making it his 10th straight season averaging a double-double. On the other hand, he continues to struggle at the foul line, where he is hitting just 53.8 percent. 

Deandre Ayton is fitting in very well with his new squad and has taken the opportunity to turn a new leaf on offense, where he is hitting a career-best 70.6 percent from the field, which is a massive jump from his 56.6 percent shooting last season, and his previous career high of 63.4 percent shooting set in 2021-22. He has the benefit of playing alongside three of the league's best playmakers, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves, which has been a major factor in his ability to play it safe on the offensive end by mostly finishing plays near the rim. 

Forwards

Giannis Antetokounmpo is quietly having one of the best seasons of his career, with his shooting percentage being a key factor in his efforts, standing out compared to his years of dominance. He has certainly refined his game in his 13th season, attempting the third-fewest 3-pointers of his career, which is a notable factor in allowing his field-goal percentage to soar to a career high of 63.9, as he does most of his scoring in the paint. On the other hand, he continues to struggle from the foul line, hitting 63.5 percent, which puts him on track for a fourth straight season shooting below 70. 

Jalen Johnson is off to one of the most impressive starts among anyone in the league, as he is averaging career highs almost across the board, with 23.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 7.9 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He has shown impressive leaps in skill and production over his first four seasons and is on pace to keep up the trend. However, those previous campaigns have mostly been cut short by injury, as he played over 56 games just once in the four seasons. Nonetheless, he has been efficient throughout his career, shooting below 50 percent (49.1) just once, in his sophomore season, while his 53.4 percent shooting this season could lead to a career high if he can top the 53.7 percent shooting from his rookie season. He is also showing a significant improvement at the foul line, shooting a career-best 80.5 percent, up from his previous high of 74.6 percent. 

Keldon Johnson once looked like he could become one of the more notable wing scorers in the league after he averaged 22 points on 45.2 percent shooting in 2022-23. However, he has not been able to break through as a consistent starter with the Spurs, playing out of a bench role over the last two and a half seasons. Regardless, he is finding a new way to stand out among a talented frontcourt by shooting a career-best 57.5 percent from the field while averaging 24.1 minutes per game, which is slightly more than he played last season. A big factor in his improved efficiency is his shot selection, as he is attempting 2.6 3s per game, which is his lowest mark over the past four seasons and a significant drop from a three-year stretch from 2021 to 2024, where he shot over five per game. 

Rui Hachimura is the second Lakers player to make this list, and it is no coincidence. As mentioned previously, he benefits from playing alongside some of the league's best playmakers. Nonetheless, he deserves a fair amount of credit for himself, as he is showing maturity by sticking to his role on the offensive end and not forcing. His patience is certainly paying off as he is averaging a career-high 14 points per game while shooting 53.6 percent from the field, which is a sliver below his career high of 53.7 percent. He is also shooting over four 3s per game for the second straight season, hitting a career-best two per game on a career-best 46.2 percent shooting from downtown. 

Guards

Mikal Bridges continues to chip in across the board as one of the most versatile players on either end of the floor. He has shown that he can be a very efficient scorer through most of his career, as he is on pace to shoot better than 50 percent from the field for a fifth time in eight seasons. This would also be his first season averaging over 15 points per game on better than 50 percent shooting. Additionally, he does well at the foul line, where he is on pace to shoot over 80 percent for an eighth consecutive campaign, and he is on pace to shoot better than 40 percent from deep for a second time in his career -- the first time with the Knicks. 

Ayo Dosunmu has shown impressive flashes over the last couple of seasons, but injuries and roster changes have kept him from earning a consistent starting job. Nonetheless, he continues to make the best case he can by pushing for career highs in scoring, with 15.2 points per game. Meanwhile, he is on pace to shoot over 50 percent from the field for a third time in five seasons, despite also shooting a minimum of four 3s per game for a second straight season. He is knocking down a career high of 1.9 3s per game, while shooting a blistering career-high 47.5 percent from deep -- a notable improvement over his previous career best of 40.3 percent from long range. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is an anomaly, as it is quite rare for a high-usage guard to shoot over 50 percent from the field, never mind a guard who is the league's second-highest scorer. However, this would be the fourth consecutive and fifth season in his career where Gilgeous-Alexander is doing so, as he is currently on pace for a career high by sinking 55.6 percent of his shots. He is also on fire from deep, blowing past his previous high of 41.8 percent shooting from long range by averaging 44.3 percent this season while attempting at least five 3s per game for the third time in his career. 

Austin Reaves was mentioned previously as a top-tier playmaker, and rightfully so, as he is averaging a career-high 6.7 assists per game. In addition, he is one of the league's most efficient backcourt players, as he is averaging 28.4 points on 50.9 percent shooting, including 37 percent from deep, leading to a career-high 2.9 made 3-pointers per game. He is also money from the foul line, knocking down over 85 percent from the stripe for a fourth straight season.