2017-18 NBA player rankings: 10-6
Ahead of the 2017-18 season, theScore's basketball editors ranked the top 30 players in the NBA, with the cumulative rankings to be unveiled over the course of this week. As a reminder, these rankings are based solely on how we project players to perform in the coming season.
Related: Players ranked 30-21, Players ranked 20-11
10. John Wall
Wall's well on his way to becoming the league's best point guard when factoring in both ends of the court. The speedster was the catalyst of a top-10 offense thanks in large part to his scoring and cross-court playmaking. Not only did he pace the Wiz in points (23.1 per game), but he also assisted on 46.9 percent of his teammates' baskets and finished second in the NBA with 10.7 assists per game.
After leading the league in steals and ranking first among point guards in blocks, the 27-year-old aims to further improve defensively in his bid to make First Team All-Defense. - Victoria Nguyen
9. Karl-Anthony Towns
Defense is the only weakness holding Towns back from true superstardom. Scoring comes naturally to the 21-year-old center, who averaged 28.4 points per game on 60 percent shooting after the All-Star break in his second season. No wonder general managers named Towns as the player they would most like to start a franchise with. Towns will become a perennial MVP favorite if his defense ever matches his offense. - William Lou
8. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Antetokounmpo has set new career highs in virtually every statistical category throughout his young NBA career, and if that trend continues this season, the Eastern Conference - and the Association at large - will want to steer clear of Milwaukee's most fearsome Buck.
Last year, Antetokounmpo joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Chris Webber, and Kevin Garnett as the only players in history to average 22-8-5-1-1 over an entire season, dominating opposing guards, wings, and bigs on both ends of the court while playing the role of point-forward. All that, and The Greek Freak hasn't even celebrated his 23rd birthday yet. - Joseph Casciaro
7. Anthony Davis
Davis has become one of the most versatile and lethal scorers on the planet, finishing fourth in scoring (28 points per game) last season. He's no slouch at the other end either, using his size, speed, and athleticism to guard multiple positions and anchor a top-10 defense.
The Brow stuffed the stat sheet with 11.8 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, and 1.3 steals to earn his second All-Defensive team nod. At 24, he's yet to peak and should continue to dominate as he tries to lead the Pelicans back to the playoffs. - Nguyen
6. James Harden
The scale of Harden's playmaking is underappreciated. His league-leading 11 assists per game translated to 27 points from his teammates, while Harden also chipped in with 29 points per game of his own. That's nearly 60 points a night that can be linked back to one player who somehow didn't win MVP. No wonder the Rockets' season fell apart once Harden's body started breaking down. - Lou