2017-18 NBA Player Power Rankings: December edition

Welcome to 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: Russell Westbrook, Al Horford, Victor Oladipo, Damian Lillard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Ben Simmons, Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, and Andre Drummond.

On to the rankings:

10. Kristaps Porzingis

Porzingis continues to strap the Knicks to his back and carry them to legitimacy. His shooting has come down from its ridiculous early-season heights, but he continues to feast on the block, destroy mismatches, and protect the rim. The Knicks are 13-9 in games he's played this season, and 0-4 in those he hasn't. - Joe Wolfond

9. Kyrie Irving

Thrust into a completely new team and flanked by a handful of young names, Irving has had no issues leading a fresh Celtics lineup to the peak of the Eastern Conference.

The 25-year-old is carrying the scoring load for Boston, averaging 24 points over 27 games played so far, and the impact he has on his teammates can't be overstated, either. With Irving on the floor, Boston is 7.1 points better per 100 offensive possessions, second only to Al Horford's offensive net rating of 15.3 among Celtics players with at least 20 minutes played. - Jonathan Soveta

8. Joel Embiid

Embiid missed Philly's last two games and still hasn't played in a back-to-back, but he's up to 30 minutes per game in the 21 contests he has suited up for, and is averaging 23.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and two blocks.

It's no wonder, then, why the 76ers play like a top four overall team (+6.7 points per 100 possessions) with Embiid on the court, and a 27th-ranked team (-6.9) with the two-way force sitting on the bench. - Joseph Casciaro

7. DeMarcus Cousins

There have been two 40-20 games in the NBA this season, and both belong to Boogie. On top of his typical scoring and rebounding prowess, he has grown into one of the game's best playmaking bigs, and that's made him an excellent frontcourt companion for Anthony Davis. Cousins' defensive effort has left a lot to be desired this season, but there isn't much he can't do at the offensive end. - Wolfond

6. Anthony Davis

The Brow is once again the brightest spot on an otherwise disappointing Pelicans side. Though his 24.9 points and 10.7 rebounds per game both rank second on the team to Cousins, Davis' 4.0 win shares nearly double that of Boogie's (2.3), despite Cousins owning a higher usage percentage (34.3 to 27.0). Prioritizing Davis over Boogie on offense should bode better for the Pelicans, though some things are easier said than done. - Soveta

5. Kevin Durant

Durant is reminding people just how dominant he can be as a team's unquestioned alpha now that Curry is sidelined. Having spent the first quarter of the season focused on being an elite defender, Durant has had to take the reins of the Warriors' offense, and he's averaged a cool 35.5 points and 8.5 assists since Curry went down. He's also still second in the NBA in blocks per game. - Wolfond

4. Stephen Curry

The Warriors' electric guard looked to be on his way to another fun-filled season, as evidenced by him cementing himself as the fastest player to ever reach 2,000 career 3-pointers (by a mile). But, a nasty ankle sprain has put his exploits on hold - and caused Golden State fans to hold their breath in fear - though, the Warriors look to be perfectly fine without him, for now. - Soveta

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo

"The Greek Freak" boosted his scoring average by a full six points from year three to four, taking home Most Improved Player honors in 2016-17. This season, that number has gone up by another 6.9 points to 29.8, good enough for second overall in the Association. His recent exclamation dunk over Rudy Gobert is basically one giant reflection of how scary he's been. Oh, and he only just turned 23 years old. - Chris Walder

2. LeBron James

In his 15th season, the soon-to-be 33-year-old is posting career highs in field-goal and 3-point percentage, assist rate, and block rate. His league-leading 31.4 PER would be the ninth-best of all time. He remains a singular offensive force, and as his defensive intensity has ramped up, so, too, has his team's.

Soft schedule or not, leading the ragged Cavs to 13 straight wins without their starting point guard or center is a testament to LeBron's enduring greatness. - Wolfond

1. James Harden

Two months into the season, and Harden is right where he should be: already in serious consideration for MVP. Not even the return of teammate and All-Star point guard Chris Paul threw a wrench into Harden's numbers: he's still averaging an NBA-best 32.3 points per game while dishing out 9.2 assists. - Soveta