The Denver Nuggets signed veteran wing DeMar DeRozan to a veteran minimum contract this offseason, and it was quickly viewed as one of the best-value moves of the summer. While DeRozan, 37, is reaching the end of his career, he is one of the greatest scorers the league has ever seen.

As it stands, DeRozan has the fourth-most points of any active NBA player with 26,775 and counting, but another star from the 2009 draft class is right behind him.

In Thursday night's game against the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry passed Hall of Fame point guard Oscar Robertson for 17th place on the league's all-time scoring list. Curry now has 26,737 career points, sitting just 38 points behind DeRozan for 16th place.

DeRozan has quite the challenge to hold his scoring lead over Curry, especially at his current rate. So far this season, Curry is averaging 29.9 points per game. DeRozan, on the other hand, has taken a back seat in Denver, averaging just 10.7 points per game, his lowest mark since his rookie year.

DeMar DeRozan's longevity

Still, the fact that DeRozan is sitting ahead of Curry on the all-time scoring list is a feat in itself. DeRozan does not get enough respect as being one of the league's greatest scorers, with some fans not even recognizing him as a Hall of Fame candidate.

Every retired player in the top 47 of the all-time scoring list has been inducted into the Hall of Fame, or will be in due time. Only 15 players in the history of the NBA have scored more points than DeRozan, and he still gets criticized? Sure, DeRozan has never been a legitimate MVP candidate or has even made an All-NBA First Team, but he has averaged 16+ points per game for 16 consecutive seasons.

DeRozan's longevity flies under the radar, as he was still making plays for the Sacramento Kings, leading them in scoring last season. This season for the Nuggets, he has come off the bench for the first time since he was a rookie, as his numbers across the board have taken a hit, but he has been a valuable playmaker and veteran presence in Denver's second unit.

When will Curry pass DeRozan?

At this point, any point DeRozan scores for the Nuggets is just delaying the inevitable. Curry has been on a tear in year 18, and he will likely pass DeRozan on the all-time scoring list by the end of the month.

As we talk about this, we can go back to when the Nuggets and Warriors faced off earlier this season. In that game, Curry had 24 points on perfect 8-8 shooting. And, as fitting as it is, this was DeRozan's best game of the season, leading the Nuggets in scoring with 21 points.

Considering these two stars came into the NBA at the same time, just two draft picks apart, it is incredible that they are still battling 18 seasons later.

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