2017-18 NBA Player Power Rankings: January edition

Welcome to the 2017-18 NBA Player Power Rankings, where theScore's basketball editors cumulatively rank the league's top 10 players 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 four players received at least one vote from our panel of nine editors, but ultimately came up short of the top 10: Jimmy Butler, Joel Embiid, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Karl-Anthony Towns.

10. DeMar DeRozan

Those who've maintained faith in DeRozan's ever-evolving game have long wondered what the perennial All-Star would look like with average 3-point prowess and an uptick in his playmaking abilities. Through nearly half the 2017-18 season, we have an answer, as the 28-year-old is averaging 25 points, 4.9 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals on a True Shooting Percentage of 58.9 for a 27-10 Raptors team.

The most stunning development? The mid-range maestro is shooting nearly 52 percent from deep on 4.7 long-range attempts per game over his last 11 contests. - Joseph Casciaro

9. Kyrie Irving

The Celtics continue to win with their stifling defense, but they'd be nowhere without Irving's sure-handed playmaking dragging their offense to the middle of the pack. On top of his continued scoring consistency and sudden appetite for rebounds, Irving is turning the ball over at a career-low rate, despite career-high usage. Boston scores 108.1 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor - which would rank eighth in the NBA - compared to 98.7 when he sits, which would rank dead last by a significant margin. - Joe Wolfond

8. DeMarcus Cousins

While Anthony Davis is succeeding from deep, the pairing with Cousins has
pulled Boogie out to the perimeter far more often. Cousins is taking more than six 3-point attempts per game - five times his career average coming into this season - and hitting over 35 percent. Combine that with ranking fourth in the league in scoring and third in rebounds - not to mention a career-high 5.1 assists per game. - John Chick

7. Anthony Davis

The great twin-tower experiment of 2017-18 continues with Davis and
Cousins keeping the Pelicans in the playoff race. Davis has been his usual superstar self, ranking fifth in the NBA in PER while connecting on a career-high 36 percent of his 3-point attempts. - Chick

6. Russell Westbrook

The reigning MVP is back to his triple-double ways, and as a result, the Thunder are surging. Westbrook's numbers didn't account for much early on in the campaign with the team faltering, attempting to incorporate two other All-Star pieces. Now, it's clear that balance has been found with Westbrook again taking on an alpha role, and the Thunder are rising up the standings.- Chris Walder

5. Stephen Curry

If not for missing 13 games so far this season (and the optics of playing on the star-studded Warriors), it would be hard to argue with anyone making a case that Curry has been the league's top player. Only one player - other than Curry himself,who posted a 63 percent average in 2015-16) - has ever posted a better effective field-goal percentage than the Golden State star's 60.6 percent while averaging at least five 3-point shots and 15 shots per game overall: 2017-18 LeBron James (61 percent). - Andrew Potter

4. Kevin Durant

With Kawhi Leonard sidelined, Durant has arguably taken over the mantle as the Association's top two-way player. His newly-found knack for blocking shots (league-leading 2.3 per game) hasn't wavered, and his scoring and efficiency are on par, if not slightly better, than it was during his first season in the Bay Area. Here's hoping his strained right calf doesn't become a lingering issue. - Walder

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo

Antetokounmpo is having his "Westbrook Year," posting jaw-dropping stats while the Bucks toil outside of legitimate title contention. While averaging 29.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game doesn't have the same prestige as Westbrook's sustained triple-double campaign, Antetokounmpo's dominance on the defensive end has made his season arguably more impressive than that of the reigning MVP. - Potter

2. James Harden

Even though Harden has yet to take the floor in 2018, the Rockets' maestro continues to lead the league in win shares (8.0). He's ceding touches to Chris Paul, but leading the league in scoring at 32.3 points per game. While he may not be scoring as efficiently as others, Harden is perfectly balanced in his assault on the hoop: He's on track to becoming the first player ever to average 10 2-pointers, 10 3-pointers, and 10 free-throw attempts per game. - Potter

1. LeBron James

The Cavaliers are in the midst of one of their annual midseason cold spurts, but James, at least, has preserved his elite production, despite Cleveland's struggles as a whole.

His 3-point shooting has tapered off, and he's turning the rock over at an alarming rate during this stretch, but even with those shortcomings, James is still playing exceptional basketball at a point in his career where a drop-off seemed inevitable. The King knows how to buck the trend. - Walder

Here's how the current rankings compare to previous months: