Three-pointers have sped basketball up to TikTok pace in recent years: clips, spacing, “one more step-back—and let it fly.”
But for all that digital beauty, there’s one good old thing that still decides games without fashion or context.
The dunk.
In the NBA, dunks go in at roughly 90%—it’s basically “press a button, get two points.”
To match that efficiency, you’d need to hit threes at about 60%. Yeah—good luck with that.
And yet about 11% of all made field-goal points in recent years still come from above the rim.
So yes: “verticality” is alive and well.
Below is the leaderboard for total dunks at the current point of the season. No discounts for minutes, no “if not for injuries,” no eye-test beauty contests. Just this: who gets to the second floor the most.
Top 10 most productive “high flyers” of the season
10) Victor Wembanyama — 66
His limb package is so absurd that sometimes it feels like he isn’t jumping—he’s just reaching, and that’s it. What’s especially funny (and telling): a couple other guys have the same dunk total, but Wemby did it in a noticeably smaller minute load. They’re managing him—and he still finds time to rack up his “bundle.”
9) Chet Holmgren — 74
Holmgren isn’t the “I’m about to bully everyone” type. He’s something else: the right spots, the right timing, the right geometry.
This season, his dunks look like a continuation of logic: where there used to be twisted layups, now it’s simply “thanks, I’ll take that from above.”
8) Nic Claxton — 75
A classic rim-runner, but with an interesting upgrade: he’s getting the ball more often and passing more. From a dunk standpoint, it’s steady: if you spring him on the move, it’s almost a guaranteed two.
The main problem is the same old, everyday, annoying one: free throws. In the playoffs, weaknesses like that turn into a lever.
7) Kel’el Ware — 75
Now this is a “modern big”: long, mobile, and he can even hit a three.
But there’s another storyline here—not about shooting, but about trust. In Miami, they love discipline, and if the coach starts trimming minutes, it means something inside the program isn’t working. Dunks are dunks—but they count character, too.
6) Mark Williams — 76
A very simple recipe: almost every shot is right at the rim, and the finish is as rational as it gets. He isn’t trying to look diverse. He looks useful. And for Phoenix right now, that matters more than any attempt to become a “center-artist.”
5) Jalen Duren — 90
Duren is power that needs no introduction. When Detroit pushes pace and plays through physicality, he looks like he was built to end possessions with authority at the rim. Yes, he missed games—but his rate is still downright Stakhanovite.
4) Evan Mobley — 91
Mobley often seems quiet—until you realize he’s collecting points “in the background”: an offensive rebound, a cut, one more attempt, and suddenly it’s a dunk.
A lot depends on his connections with the perimeter: if teammates drag the defense inside, Mobley knows how to appear in the right spot.
3) Amen Thompson — 95
The only guy in the top 10 who doesn’t look like a “typical big.” Amen gets his dunks with speed, burst, and the fact that he’s constantly in motion: attacks off the dribble, finds a lane, arrives as the second wave.
But that style has a price: when the jumper isn’t there, smart opponents start living in his space—and that’s a question not about dunks, but about how Houston will handle the playoffs.
2) Rudy Gobert — 104
Gobert has been doing the same job for years—and he’s still doing it so well that it stays near the top.
He won’t become a versatile offensive center (we’ve accepted that), but he consistently delivers what he’s paid for: screen → roll → dunk.
And yes—nearly half of his points come from dunks. That’s the most “honest” profile imaginable.
1) Giannis Antetokounmpo — 108
The leader of the list—and it looks completely logical. Giannis still plays like he’s rolling downhill: if you let him get going, it’s already too late.
The Bucks’ system right now is as straightforward as it is functional: Giannis goes inside, shooters circle around. And in that setup, dunks aren’t decoration—they’re a basic tool.
What this top 10 tells you
Dunks are big-man territory. Not because it’s “trendy,” but because it’s the shortest path to efficiency.
The rest of the world is up top again. Wemby and Gobert are in the top 10, Giannis is first. European verticality really is elite.
If Wembanyama’s restrictions are lifted and the Spurs learn to feed him more often in the right spots, by season’s end he’s very capable of flying higher than his current 10th place.
