SI's Top 10 Players in the NBA 2015-2016 list

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10) Kawhi Leonard
9) Marc Gasol
8) Blake Griffin
7) Russel Westbrook
6) Chris Paul
5) James Harden
4) Stephen Curry
3) Anthony Davis
2) Kevin Durant
1) Lebron James

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5 James Harden Rockets | Guard | Last year:13 To guard James Harden is to risk looking foolish. It begins, always, with the hypnotic rhythm of Harden’s dribble. Harden keeps upright as he crosses halfcourt, dribbling high and slow as to beckon his defender closer. As he nears the three-point line, he lurches. His body compacts. His dribble sinks closer to the floor and breaks into sets of staccato—crossing over and back and over and back until an opponent leans ever so slightly on his heels. At that point, Harden has already won. READ MORE

4 Stephen Curry Warriors | Guard | Last year: 8 Stephen Curry plays a form of basketball judo in which every bit of a defender’s momentum is used against them. The threat of the pull-up jumper is so constant and so real (Curry shot 42.3% last season on pull-up threes, which in itself would rank seventh in the NBA) that it draws defenders close in anticipation of the shot. From there the dance begins. Curry will use a single dribble to escape a defender’s lunge before launching up a clear attempt or, if he senses the opportunity, hesitating slightly. Often Curry’s recovering defender will come rushing back into frame, desperate not to leave the NBA’s best shooter completely unguarded. Curry has learned to jump into that recovering defender when he can for an easy trip to the line, though more often he uses their frenzy to escape yet again and send the defense into full breakdown mode. READ MORE

3 Anthony Davis Pelicans | Forward | Last year: 4 The tradeoff in giving Kevin Durant the benefit of the doubt as the No. 2 player in our rankings is that it underrates Davis. Fit this one with an asterisk for upward mobility; no other player in the NBA can quite match Davis’s plausible upside as a still-growing 22-year-old MVP candidate. It seems only a matter of time until Davis becomes the consensus choice for the best in the game—a reality that could come to fruition as soon as this season. For now, we prefer LeBron James and a healthy Durant. For tomorrow, we unquestionably prefer Davis. READ MORE

2 Kevin Durant Thunder | Forward | Last year: 2 The NBA’s premier scorer was stuck playing defense in this year’s Top 100 discussion, thanks to three surgeries on his right foot in less than seven months and two rising superstars—Anthony Davis and Stephen Curry—turning in career years as he watched from the sidelines. Thunder forward Kevin Durant was no automatic write-in for the No. 2 spot on this year’s list, but he wound up holding steady for the third straight year. Four major factors influenced that decision: the quality of his play prior to his injury, his durability prior to last season, the Thunder’s rough go in his absence, and the sense that he enters 2015–16 reenergized and on track to be fully healthy. READ MORE

1 LeBron James Cavs | Forward | Last year: 1 LeBron James has played for more dominant and more successful teams, he’s been more efficient and made the game look easier, and he’s earned greater individual recognitions than he did in 2014–15. But James has never been as captivating as he was during his one-man act during the 2015 postseason, a staggering individual achievement that lacks a modern precedent and—cue the “Hard Knocks” sweeping soundtrack—may not be done again.

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