2017-18 NBA Player Power Rankings: November edition

Welcome to the November edition of the 2017-18 NBA Player Power Rankings, where theScore's basketball editors cumulatively rank the top 10 players of the season to date on the second Monday of every month.

As a reminder, these rankings are based solely on 2017-18 performance, with no stock placed on prior history or future projections.

Honorable mentions

The following seven players received at least one vote from our panel of nine editors, but ultimately came up short of the top 10: Damian Lillard, Nikola Jokic, Bradley Beal, Al Horford, Russell Westbrook, Andre Drummond, Ben Simmons.

On to the rankings:

10. Blake Griffin

The Clippers (and Griffin's shooting) have tailed off after a hot start, but the big man's overall production so far this season remains spectacular. Through 12 games, Griffin is averaging 22.6 points - his highest mark in four years - along with 7.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and a steal while often running Los Angeles' offense as a point-forward in the post-CP3 era.

He's also shooting a solid 35.8 percent from deep on 5.6 attempts per game, while his 67 total 3-point attempts are already more than he launched in any other season besides last year. - Joseph Casciaro

9. Kyrie Irving

The evolution of Irving into a vocal leader who elevates the play of the young roster surrounding him has been a sight to behold. He's also the best player on what's currently the best team (by record) in basketball. Irving's transition into Celtics green has been seamless, as evidenced by the 12 straight victories he played a large part in. - Chris Walder

8. DeMarcus Cousins

For Cousins' size, there may not be a more dynamic offensive center in the league today. He's hitting 33.7 percent of his whopping 7.8 3-point attempts per game. Try to stymie him beyond arc and Boogie won't hesitate to back down his opponent into the paint. Double-team him, and he's dishing the ball out to the tune of 5.7 assists per game, the top mark among centers and 19th in the NBA overall. - Andrew Potter

7. Kevin Durant

The Warriors lead the Association in rejections by a substantial margin thanks to Durant's commitment to making an impact on defense. He's blocked two or more shots in nine of his 12 outings, and has helped the league's ninth-ranked defense allow 6.9 fewer points per 100 possessions when he's on the floor. - Walder

6. Anthony Davis

The top-heavy Pelicans are still hovering around .500, but Davis has never been better. With Cousins assuming more of a point-center role, Davis has been unleashed as an off-ball terror.

He's been one of the league's best and most frequent cutters, scoring a bonkers 1.57 points per possession when he gets the ball on cuts. He's also become an increasingly devastating spot-up shooter, with a 67.9 percent effective field-goal mark and nearly 40 percent 3-point shooting off the catch. That's why his scoring has hardly taken a hit despite his usage rate coming down almost 6 percent from last season. Add in a career-best assist rate and typically elite rebounding and rim protection, and Davis has been the complete package; as good as any big man in the game. - Joe Wolfond

5. Kristaps Porzingis

The unicorn of all unicorns, Porzingis has been on an absolute tear as the No. 1 option in New York. He's carrying arguably one of the weakest rosters in the NBA and making the team relevant, at least through 12 games. He's averaging 30.4 points and 7.3 rebounds while netting an efficient 61.4 true shooting percentage. Meanwhile, the Knicks are 16.2 points better with Porzingis on the floor, and his usage has significantly increased to 36 percent. Maybe the "give it to Kristaps" strategy isn't such a bad one, right Carmelo? - Wael Saghir

4. Stephen Curry

Curry hasn't shot below 40 percent from deep in any season of his NBA career, but through 13 games this year he's at 38.8 percent. That's just fine though, thanks. He remains the catalyst of the league's best offense, and the MVP of - record notwithstanding - the NBA's best team. He ranks only behind James Harden and LeBron James in NBA Math's total points added metric, and the Warriors are more than 22 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor. - John Chick

3. LeBron James

In an age when playing time is carefully monitored and rest is doled out liberally, LeBron leads the league in minutes (38.3 per game) for the second straight year - the 15th season of his career, no less. His defensive effort has been lackadaisical at times, but as his 57-point, 11-rebound, seven-assist victory over the Wizards reminded us, he can still take over a game at the flip of a switch. Even with his Cavaliers treading water, LeBron's been exceptional. - Potter

2. James Harden

Harden's assists may have fallen back from a league-best 11.2 per game last season to 9.8, but his analytics-friendly scoring proficiency has taken another leap forward; he's shooting a career-best 40.8 percent on 3-pointers, and without the support of another top creator in his backcourt. Harden has cemented his status as the early MVP front-runner. - Potter

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo

Just when you thought the Greek Freak couldn't possibly take another enormous step forward in his development, here he comes averaging 31 points per game on nearly 60 percent shooting. Antetokounmpo's contributions across the board give a Bucks squad fighting to stay above .500 a chance. He just needs a little bit of help. - Walder

* Preseason rankings can be found here