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 ...
32. Hassan Whiteside
Heat | C | @youngwhiteside
Last year's rank: 68
2016-17 projected RPM: 0.70
Insider profile: According to SCHOENE, Whiteside projects to lead the league in block rate and finish second in rebound percentage. Still, despite his immense athleticism and length, his percentage defending at the rim was nothing spectacular. According to NBA.com, he wasn't even as good as Josh McRoberts in that regard. Whiteside is clearly an impact defender, but he also needs to be more disciplined about staying within Miami's scheme. Read more »
#NBArank 31-40
