NBA Player Power Rankings

theScore's NBA editors will cumulatively rank the top 10 players of the 2016-17 season on the 13th of every month, leading up to the fifth and final version on the final day of the regular season.

The second edition of our 2016-17 NBA player power rankings features the same 10 players as last month, but with some movement throughout. Remember, these rankings only take this season's performance into account.

Just missed the cut

Kyle Lowry, DeMarcus Cousins, Marc Gasol

Lowry, Cousins, and Gasol are the only three players who received votes without cracking the top 10, with Lowry creeping closest to the official ranking. The Raptors floor general is averaging roughly 22 points, seven assists, and five rebounds on a 48-45-83 shooting line, while ranking in the top five in both Real Plus-Minus and Win Shares.

10. Stephen Curry

The Chef is still cooking in the Bay Area, although his offense has become less of a flambe and more of a saute with Kevin Durant in the fold. Curry is making waves and draining treys as per usual, but not with the efficiency he had a season ago. It puts into perspective just how phenomenal he was when he took home MVP honors for a second year in a row. Yes, his numbers have dipped, but let's not act like he's not a top 10 talent anymore. - Chris Walder

9. Jimmy Butler

Butler's offensive onslaught alone (25 points per game on a true shooting percentage of 58.7) is enough to warrant top 10 consideration, but what pushes Jimmy Buckets over the top is that he's able to both single-handedly carry Chicago's fledgling offense and play the role of All-Defensive Team caliber stopper - all while averaging more than 36 minutes per game for the fourth straight season. - Joseph Casciaro

8. Chris Paul

Paul is posting his lowest scoring and assist averages in four years while playing the fewest minutes in his career, but don't let that lull you into ignoring the season one of the game's greatest-ever point guards is putting together.

The Point God is still averaging nearly 18 points and 10 assists in less than 32 minutes, he's leading the league in steals per game for the seventh time in 10 years, he leads the league in Real Plus-Minus by a mile, and he's the only guard to rank in the top 30 in defensive RPM, where he sits fifth. - Joseph Casciaro

7. Anthony Davis

Yet another wayward season in New Orleans looms like a thick cloud over one of the league's brightest stars. Davis has avoided injuries and produced the best totals of his career. The Brow is averaging 29.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, and a league-leading 2.5 blocks per game. Davis is the league's most complete two-way big, but will remain doomed to obscurity until Pelicans management surrounds him with competent talent. - William Lou

6. Kawhi Leonard

The more things change, the more things stay the same. How true that is for the Spurs, who once again are astonishingly flying under the radar at the dawn of the Leonard era. Leonard already has more than twice as many 30-point games in 2016-17 than he did during his first four seasons combined, while remaining one of the front-runners to walk away with his third straight Defensive Player of the Year award. - Chris Walder

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Greek Freak will inherit the East when LeBron finally starts his decline. Antetokounmpo leads his team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, free throws, and field goals - all at the age of 22. He can play every position and make every move, he continues to improve each season, and the Bucks have finally surrounded him with enough complementary pieces to make another playoff push. Giannis is LeBron in Kevin Durant's body, and before long he'll be their equal. - William Lou

4. LeBron James

Even as he supposedly "cruises" through the regular season, James is putting the Cavs on his shoulders night after night. Until their recent West Coast slump, they were humming along like an efficient, well-oiled machine, playing with fluidity, intuition, selflessness, and smarts that flow from James, who seems to improve as a playmaker every year. James is posting the second-highest assist rate and 3-point percentage of his career, and while the Cavs may be making mincemeat of the East, they still can't win without him. - Joe Wolfond

3. Russell Westbrook

Westbrook is averaging a triple-double in mid-January while leading the league in scoring, and racking up a 42-percent usage rate that would make Kobe Bryant blush. If that strikes you as the result of selfishness rather than necessity, consider that the Thunder's assist rate drops by nearly 6 percent when he sits, and that the team gets outscored by 11.7 points per 100 possessions without him on the floor - a mark that would rank a full four points worse than the league-worst Nets. - Joe Wolfond

2. Kevin Durant

The Warriors' adjustment to fitting Durant into the lineup has benefited KD just fine. Whereas Curry has experienced some turbulence, Durant is showing his defensive chops while remaining his lethal offensive self, averaging 26 points per game on 65 percent true shooting. - John Chick

1. James Harden

As it stands now, Harden is likely on his way to a first career MVP award, given his performance and the Rockets' surprising 31-10 record. Arguably no player has a greater effect on his team, and without him, Houston would be a lottery squad. Instead, the Rockets are on pace for 62 wins. - John Chick