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 week. 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 ...
24. DeAndre Jordan
Clippers | C | @deandrejordan6
Last year's rank: 25
2016-17 projected RPM: 4.03
Insider profile: As in 2014-15, Jordan got a boost from improved floor spacing and less competition for lobs during Griffin's absence. This time over a longer period. He averaged 14.2 points and 14.4 rebounds without Griffin, shooting 70.1 percent from the field. While that performance still wasn't enough to earn Jordan All-Star honors, he did nab a spot on the U.S. Olympic team and won a gold medal as starting center during the knockout rounds. Read more »
#NBArank 21-30
