For the sixth season in a row, ESPN.com is ranking the top players in the NBA. Who will be the best player this season?
To get the final ranking, we asked our expert panel to vote on pairs of players.
LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry. Russell Westbrook vs. Kevin Durant. Damian Lillard vs. Chris Paul.
We asked, "Which player will be better in 2016-17?" To decide, voters had to consider both the quality and the quantity of each player's contributions to his team's ability to win games.
We'll roll out the rest of our top 200 players over the next two days. If you want to get involved in the discussion or just follow along, #NBArank is the Twitter hashtag to use. You also can follow along @ESPNNBA and on Facebook.
On to the list ...
15. Kyrie Irving
Cavaliers | PG | @KyrieIrving
Last year's rank: 18
2016-17 projected RPM: -0.41
Insider profile: After struggling through the 2015 playoffs and exiting the NBA Finals early because of a fractured kneecap, Irving's 2016 Finals performance cemented him as one of the most unstoppable one-on-one scorers in the NBA. The New Jersey native is among the most skilled players; he has a top-three handle in the league, myriad artful finishes in the paint and a deadly pull-up game. Read more »
#NBArank 11-20
