2026 NBA Playoffs: 11 Milestones to Watch
These stats milestones -- on the league and team level -- could be within reach as the playoffs wear on.
Jeff Case, NBA.com | Updated on April 17, 2026 8:41 PM
Kevin Durant and LeBron James will meet in the first round and both have playoff stats milestones within reach.
The 2025-26 season is complete, the SoFi Play-In Tournament is here and the 2026 NBA Playoffs await. Plenty of milestones were reached in 2025-26, but as we turn toward the postseason, which records are primed to fall? Below are 11 major individual milestones and several team milestones to have on your radar.
Kevin Durant: Points, Field Goals & Free Throws
Kevin Durant spent the regular season moving up in several categories and, most notably, passed Michael Jordan for No. 5 on the all-time scoring list. Provided he and the Rockets have a somewhat long playoff run, Durant can do likewise in the playoffs. He needs 188 points to pass Tim Duncan (5,172 playoff points) for No. 6 and 266 points to pass Shaquille OāNeal (5,250) for No. 5. In his career, Durant has scored no less than 319 points in the postseasons in which his team played at least 10 games.
In terms of field goals, Durant (1,684 career playoff field goals) needs 60 field goals to surpass Karl Malone (1,743) for No. 7 on the list. Heās got a ways to go, though, to reach No. 6 Duncan (1,945) and No. 5 Bryant (2,014). He can also move to No. 4 in free throws (1,251) as he needs 19 more to pass Karl Malone (1,269). If the Rockets have a long playoff run, he might be able to catch Bryant (1,320) for No. 3, but is a ways off from No. 2 Jordan (1,463).
LeBron James: 3-Pointers
Our Brian Martin has a must-read review of LeBron Jamesā many stats milestones as the 2026 NBA Playoffs begin. Weāre focusing on one that are possibly within reach should the Lakers enjoy a long playoff run. James has 480 career playoff 3-pointers and needs 32 more to pass Klay Thompson (501) for No. 2 on that list. James last had 32 or more 3-pointers in the 2020 playoffs (when he led the Lakers to the NBA title), so a long playoff run will be key in passing Thompson.
James Harden: Points, Assists, Games Played, Steals
Cleveland Cavs guard James Harden isnāt quite the scorer he was in his prime with Houston, but heās within range of elite playoff scoring company. Harden has scored 3,895 points in the postseason and is No. 14. Heās three points from passing Larry Bird for No. 13 (3,897), but needs 105 points to become the 12th player with 4,000 or more career playoff points. Harden has scored at least 127 playoff points in every postseason since 2010-11, putting this mark within range.
Assists-wise, Harden has amassed 1,125 playoff dimes and ranks No. 8 in that category. He needs 12 assists to pass Rajon Rondo (1,136) for No. 7 and is 19 from passing Rajon Rondo (1,143) for No. 6. A long playoff run could help Harden as heās 109 assists from surpassing Chris Paul (1,233) for No. 5.
Harden has appeared in 173 playoff games and ranks No. 23 on that list, but is a long playoff run away from moving up to No. 15. Harden is five games from passing Rasheed Wallace, Dwyane Wade and Andre Iguodala (177) for No. 20 and is 12 games from passing Robert Parish (184) for No. 15.
Lastly, Harden can move into the Top 10 in playoff steals in 2026. Harden has 282 career postseason steals and needs 11 more to pass Manu Ginobili (292) for No. 10 all-time. He had nine steals in the 2025 playoffs and has recorded 11 or more steals in three of his last six playoff runs, so this mark is attainable.
3-Pointers: Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum & Paul George
A trio of All-Stars could make their way up the all-time 3-pointers list should their teams enjoy a long playoff run. Durant has 366 career playoff 3-pointers and needs 20 more to pass Ray Allen (385) for No. 5 in that category. Tatum (292) is only three 3-pointers away from passing J.R. Smith (294) for No. 10, while George (276) needs 19 more to pass Smith and stay in the chase with Tatum for No. 10.
Team Playoff Milestones
(Editorās note: Teams lacking an entry means either do not have a player within a realistic range of moving up in a franchiseās statistical category in the playoffs, or there is not a notable stats milestone ranking within range ā such as going from No. 17 to No. 12 in ppg.)
Boston Celtics: Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum
- Forward Jaylen Brown already ranks in the Top 10 in nine categories in Celtics playoff history and can move up higher in 2026. Brown has 2,608 playoff points in his career, ranking No. 9 in that category, but needs at least 302 in the 2026 playoffs to pass Sam Jones (2909) for No. 5. Additionally, he is 11 steals away from passing Marcus Smart (144) for No. 5 in that category and 99 rebounds from passing Paul Pierce (869) for No. 10 in that statistic. He also needs 96 more field goals to pass Robert Parish (1,073) for No. 5. Heās also 43 free throws away from passing Dennis Johnson (436) for No. 10 in that category and 34 free throw attempts to pass Tom Heinsohn (568) for No. 10 in that stat.
- Forward Jayson Tatum also has several playoff stats records, ranking in the Top 10 in 11 different stats. He can move up to No. 3 in Celtics playoff scoring lore as he needs 247 points to pass Kevin McHale (3,182) for that spot. Tatum is also one steal away from passing Smart (144) for No. 4 in that category and 91 field goals from passing Parish for No. 5 in that stat.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley
- Guard Donovan Mitchell is gearing up for his fourth playoff run with Cleveland and has made a mark in the teamās playoff record books. Heās No. 9 in scoring (678) points, but can move ahead of J.R. Smith (809) with 132 points or more for the No. 5 slot. In the 2025 playoffs, Mitchell amassed 266 points in eight games, and another playoff run like that could have him closing in on Kevin Love (966 points) for No. 3. Additionally, Mitchell needs 24 assists to pass Delonte West (141) for No. 5, another 46 field goals to pass Larry Nance (283) for No. 5 and 134 field goal attempts to pass Zydrunas Ilgauskas (656) for No. 5 in that stat, too. Heās also three 3-pointers away from passing Kyle Korver (72) for No. 5 and 84 3-point attempts from passing Kyrie Irving (294) for No. 4.
- Evan Mobley is a former Kia Defensive Player of the Year winner and already ranks in the Cavsā Top 10 in blocks. Heās on the cusp of joining the Top 5, needing 14 swats to surpass Hot Rod Williams (53) for No. 5. In the 2025 playoffs, Mobley notched eight blocks, but had 26 in 2024 when the Cavs had a dozen playoff games. Heās also 29 rebounds away from passing Smith (254) for No. 10 in rebounding (Mobley has notched at least 50 rebounds in each of his playoff runs).
Denver Nuggets: Nikola JokiÄ, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon
- There arenāt many stats categories for which center Nikola JokiÄ is not the Nuggetsā all-time leader. Jamal Murray is the teamās all-time playoff leader in 3-pointers made and attempted, but JokiÄ can get to No. 2 in that category in 2026. He is two 3-pointers and 20 3-point attempts from passing Michael Porter Jr. (166 3-pointers, 444 3-point attempts) for No. 2 in both categories.
- Much like JokiÄ, Jamal Murray has entrenched himself in Nuggets playoff lore, stats-wise. He is in the Top 10 or Top 3 in several categories, and can move up in two other categories. Murray needs eight rebounds to pass Dan Issel (393) for No. 4 in rebounds and needs three blocks to pass Kenyon Martin (32) for No. 10 and move into a tie with JaVale McGee (33) for No. 9. Lastly, he is 17 free throws from passing Alex English (300) for No. 3 and 43 from passing English (345) for No. 3 in free throw attempts.
- Aaron Gordon is No. 5 in team playoff history in assists (176), No. 14 in steals (36) and No. 8 in blocks (34) and can move up in each of those categories in the 2026 playoffs. Gordon needs 82 assists to pass Lafayette Lever (257) for No. 4, needs eight steals to move into No. 7 and needs 13 blocks to pass Danny Schayes (42) for No. 5 in that category. Gordon is also three 3-pointers and 24 3-point attempts from passing Smith (65-for-169 on 3-pointers) for No. 4 in those categories.
Golden State Warriors: Draymond Green
- In Golden State lore, Draymond Green and Stephen Curry rank at or near the top in nearly every category. While Green is mostly known for his playoff defensive efforts, heās capable of scoring and could move up in the field goals department in the playoffs. He needs seven field goals to pass Rick Barry (693) for No. 3 on the all-time list and five free throws to pass Barry (378) for No. 2 in that category.
Houston Rockets: Clint Capela
- Itās fair to wonder if center Clint Capela would perhaps be making headway toward Hakeem Olajuwonās all-time franchise rebounds record (1,602) had Capela not been traded to the Atlanta Hawks in 2020. Be that as it may, Capela (468 playoff rebounds) is 15 rebounds away from passing James Harden (482) for No. 3 in rebounds. Capela logged 50 rebounds for the Rockets in the 2025 playoffs, which means passing Harden is likely more than reasonable.
Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James
- Lakers standout forward LeBron James is known for his defensive skills and can move up in team playoff lore in two defensive categories. James needs 10 steals to pass Jamaal Wilkes (83) for No. 10 in that category and is 13 blocks from passing Magic Johnson (64) for No. 15 in that stat. For context, James had 10 steals and nine blocks in the 2025 playoffs, which lasted only five games for the Lakers. Additionally, James can move up on the Lakersā all-time playoff 3-pointers list. He has 110 3-playoff 3-pointers (No. 5), but needs 15 more to pass Michael Cooper for No. 3. In the 2025 playoffs,