January NBA Player Power Rankings: LeBron James, Chris Paul bounce back

We've reached the midway point of the season, and the third edition of theScore's monthly Player Power Rankings.

Remember, these rankings do not account for past seasons or future projections. They're merely a ranking of player performance over the course of the 2014-15 season.

Without further ado:

The Top 10

10. Kyle Lowry
19.3 PPG, 7.4 APG, 4.9 RPG, 1.6 SPG
PER: 21.33
Win Shares: 6.2

After an outstanding December that earned him Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors, Lowry sputtered somewhat in January, entering into a month-long shooting slump while regressing on the defensive end.

Still, Lowry's at a point where, even on an off night, he can positively impact a game in a variety of ways. When taking his entire body of work into account - 19, seven, five and two on solid efficiency while suiting up in all 48 games for a 33-15 team - he edges out DeMarcus Cousins (who shot 40 percent from the field and turned the ball over five times per game while looking disinterested in a 4-10 month for the Kings) for the No. 10 spot in the post-January rankings.

9. Russell Westbrook
24.8 PPG, 7.4 APG, 5.9 RPG, 2.2 SPG
PER: 27.08
Win Shares: 4.2

Westbrook is going to shoot the Thunder out of games sometimes, and that erratic decision making is what's holding him back from being a legitimate MVP candidate. But you can't deny his all-world talent or production. He maintains his top-10 standing, even after a down month for himself and the Thunder (21, 8, 6 and 2 is a down month for his standards when considering an ugly 38-22-78 shooting split).

8. Kevin Durant
25.1 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.0 BPG
PER: 27.77
Win Shares: 3.8

On numbers and stunning efficiency alone - particularly in January - Durant should be ranked higher. But he's missed more than half the season so far, and if these rankings are to take the entire season into account, the reigning MVP can't be placed ahead of some of the other names on this list.

At least, not yet.

7. Damian Lillard
21.6 PPG, 6.3 APG, 4.6 RPG, 1.4 SPG
PER: 21.29
Win Shares: 6.9

Yes, the Western Conference is stacked. But how a player averaging nearly 22, six and five on impressive efficiency for a 32-16 team wasn't named an All-Star is beyond comprehension.

Lillard has been better than any point guard not named Curry or Paul this season. He may not be an All-Star, but he's a top-10 talent.

6. Marc Gasol
18.7 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.7 BPG
PER: 22.7
Win Shares: 6.6

Gasol's numbers don't jump off the page, but watch enough league-wide basketball, and you'll quickly realize the Grizzlies' All-Star is one of the best two-way players alive.

Gasol, already Memphis' defensive anchor, has seen his scoring efficiency rise despite a pretty dramatic uptick in his usage - a rare feat. He's also one of the NBA's best passing big men, and his eight rebounds per game undersell his impact on the boards.

With Gasol on the court, the Grizzlies grab 51.1 percent of available rebounds, a mark that would rank eighth, just behind the Bulls. With Gasol sitting, the team's rebound rate drops to 48.4 percent, which would match the Heat for 26th.

5. LeBron James
26.4 PPG, 7.3 APG, 5.5 RPG, 1.5 SPG
PER: 26.49
Win Shares: 5.9

LeBron didn't look right throughout the season's opening two months, and when he missed eight straight games from late December into early January, it looked like an unfathomable Player Power Rankings without him was on the horizon.

Instead, King James returned to average nearly 30 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals on 50 percent shooting in 10 January games, with the Cavs going 9-1 in those games.

Now the possible scenario involves LeBron once again ascending to the throne. Don't rule out a LeBron run to the top spot in these rankings, a fifth MVP or a third championship just yet.

4. Chris Paul
17.7 PPG, 9.6 APG, 4.8 RPG, 1.9 SPG
PER: 24.97
Win Shares: 8.6

Towards the end of December, Paul appeared to be slowing down as he struggled through a rare shooting slump, and his uncharacteristic No. 8 ranking reflected that.

Then, he went out and averaged his usual 18, 10 and five in January on a 48-39-91 shooting split while leading the Clippers to an 11-4 month. He now finds himself back in the top-five in WAR and Win Shares to go along with his top-10 PER.

CP3 may have lost his Point God title to Stephen Curry through the first half of the season, but he's hitting his stride as others tail off, and a strong second half should push him into the MVP discussion.

3. James Harden
27.0 PPG, 6.8 APG, 5.6 RPG, 2.0 SPG
PER: 27.3
Win Shares: 10.1

The race for the No. 1 spot in these rankings is as wide open as it has been this season, and you can make a strong argument for Harden as the league's MVP and best player right now.

The Beard is on track for his first career scoring title and leads the league in Win Shares. He's borderline unstoppable on the offensive end - drawing fouls on nearly 49 percent of his field goal attempts while posting an Effective Field Goal Percentage of 52.5 - and he remains an improved defender for the Rockets' third-ranked defense.

2. Stephen Curry
23.0 PPG, 8.1 APG, 4.7 RPG, 2.1 SPG
PER: 27.2
Win Shares: 8.8

While many players saw their numbers dip in January, Curry somehow managed to improve his already impressive averages while continuing to post a scorching 48-40-91 shooting line.

That individual performance and the Warriors' 12-3 month nearly saw Curry leapfrog Anthony Davis for the top spot.

1. Anthony Davis
24.5 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 2.9 BPG, 1.7 APG, 1.6 SPG
PER: 31.94
Win Shares: 9.4

Davis missed four games in January, which slightly threatened his season-long perch atop these rankings. Yet the Brow has managed to maintain a historical level of excellence through half a season and he still has the overmatched Pelicans afloat in the Western Conference playoff race.

In addition to his all-time Player Efficiency Rating, Davis is on pace to become the first player in nine years and the 11th player ever to post a 24-10-2-1-1 stat-line over the course of an entire season.

The Next 10

Honorable mentions: Kyrie Irving, Pau Gasol, Tyson Chandler, DeAndre Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki

(PER courtesy of ESPN, Win Shares courtesy of Basketball Reference)