2016-17 NBA player rankings: The top 5
Who were the top 30 players of the 2016-17 campaign, and how does the end-of-season list compare to preseason expectations? theScore's seven NBA editors cumulatively ranked the league's stars based solely on their 2016-17 performances, and came up with the following:
Related - 2016-17 NBA player rankings: 30-21, 20-11, 10-6
5. Kevin Durant (Preseason rank: 3)
Had a knee injury not robbed him of a quarter-season, Durant would have as formidable an argument as anyone for the top spot in these rankings, as a move to the Bay Area unleashed the most efficient and complete version of the "Slim Reaper" we've ever seen.
The 2014 MVP averaged roughly 25 points, eight rebounds, five assists, a steal, and a block on 54-38-88 shooting while playing the most consistent and terrifying defense of his career.
The aforementioned knee injury may have kept him out of the running for a second Maurice Podoloff Trophy, but Durant should get a crack at his first Finals MVP award in a couple months to make up for it. - Joseph Casciaro
4. Kawhi Leonard (Preseason: 5)
Leonard has been climbing the ladder of top NBA players for a couple of years now, but consider 2016-17 as the season he truly arrived. "Scottie Pippen with a jump shot" hit career highs in scoring (25.5 ppg), assists (3.5), and PER (27.5), but it was Leonard's overall value to the San Antonio Spurs that was incalculable.
In addition to ranking second league-wide in win shares per 48, he's one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA on a team that ranked first in defensive rating. Forget about the anomaly of Leonard's on/off numbers; the Spurs would be nowhere near as good without him. - John Chick
3. LeBron James (Preseason: 1)
The Cavaliers may have endured a disappointing regular season, but don't put that on James' shoulders. With him on the bench, Cleveland was outscored by 8.5 points per 100 possessions, a net rating that would've blown the Lakers' league-worst mark out of the water. With James on the floor, the Cavs performed on a level with the 61-win Spurs.
The guy who supposedly "coasts" through the regular season led the league in minutes per game, averaged career highs in assists and rebounds, and shot a better effective field-goal percentage than Steph Curry.
That James is still doing this, after playing approximately two extra seasons' worth of playoff games over the past six years, is just obscene. - Joe Wolfond
2. James Harden (Preseason: 7)
Mike D'Antoni worked yet another miracle, turning a gifted scorer in James Harden into the league's best playmaker.
The spread pick-and-roll with Harden at the point formed the bedrock of the league's second-best offense. If defenses sagged back, Harden drilled the three. If they played him tight, he slashed to the cup. If help came from the wing, he passed for an open triple. If the big stepped up, Harden tossed the alley-oop lob. Nobody (save for the Warriors) had an answer.
Houston rode that system to 55 wins, good for the third-best record in the league, while Harden capitalized and finished first in assists and second in points - just two rebounds shy of a triple-double. - William Lou
1. Russell Westbrook (Preseason: 4)
The case for Russell Westbrook extends well beyond averaging the first triple-double in over five decades.
Westbrook saved the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise from utter ruin following years of poor management and the departure of Kevin Durant. Westbrook chose to stay, inked an extension, and then carried the franchise on his back to yet another playoff berth by shouldering a historic workload every night. Westbrook's season stands for nothing else, if not a triumph of stamina and sheer willpower.
Westbrook also donned the superhero cape in all the important moments. He led the NBA by a mile in clutch scoring, putting up 60 points per 36 minutes. No, that's not a typo. - William Lou