A back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year winner who still puts up 20-plus points per game (21.2)? Yeah, the "Claw" is in the top tier of the league — no doubt.

Still being the consummate floor general at 31 years old, averaging 19.5 points and 10 assists per game — as he did last season — is nothing to scoff at nor take for granted. We see you, CP3.

Can anybody in the league stand in front of Kyrie Irving's slippery handles for days and stop the Cleveland Cavaliers' point guard? Well, we know from last year's NBA Finals that Stephen Curry can't. After draining the winning shot of the Finals, we expect Uncle Drew to come back that much nicer this season. Wait for it ...

Still sleeping on DeMar DeRozan? Well, the 23.5 points per game he dropped last year should be a reason for you to wake up. The Toronto Raptors' All-Star shooting guard continuously finds ways to get buckets.

Paul George didn't show any signs of that gruesome August 2014 compound leg fracture last season, averaging 23.1 points per game for the Indiana Pacers.

We thought long and hard about what Carmelo Anthony's true ranking should be entering this season. In the end, we gave him the slimmest edge over Paul George to crack the top 10. At 32, Melo is still a scoring machine ... and that's not too shabby.

Sharing the same back court as back-to-back MVP Stephen Curry makes it easy to sometimes overlook how good Klay Thompson is. But don't ever play yourself. The Golden State Warriors All-Star shooting guard is capable of catching fire better than anybody in the league — including Curry — as evidenced by his unreal shooting displays last postseason. Eleven 3-pointers in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals? Are you kidding? Light 'em up, Klay!

Talk about the best point guard in the NBA and Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul will probably be the names that come out your mouth first. As they should. But Damian Lillard's 25.1 points and nearly seven dimes per game with the Portland Trail Blazers on his back shouldn't be overlooked.

With time, Anthony Davis could be the best baller in the league, period. For now, 24.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and two blocks per game has the New Orleans Pelicans' power forward just looking into the top 5 on our ranking.

Boogie is one bad, bad man. Nearly 27 points per game with 11.5 boards and 1.4 blocks? Franchise center, indeed.

On a late-game isolation, we want the rock in the hands of James Harden. Buckets upon buckets. Fear the "Beard" ... a perennial threat to win the scoring title.

There's not a player in the league who goes as hard and is as relentless as Russell Westbrook. The back-to-back All-Star MVP with the busiest motor in the NBA — as evidenced by his 18 triple-doubles last year — should even play with a bigger chip on his shoulder since Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City to join Golden State. We could be looking at a 2016-17 season, in which Russ wins the MVP.

KD averaged damn-near 30 points per game last year. Playing with three fellow All-Stars should have him that much more in his bag in what could be the best season of his career — not to mention that elusive first title he's been chasing.

The back-to-back MVP returns after leading the league in scoring (30.1 points per game) and making the Golden State Warriors the most-winning team in NBA history with a 73-9 record, coming up just one game shy of clinching another title. The pressure's on, but guess who isn't gonna crack? Pardon, but Chef Curry had to laugh at that.

King James had to fly into the frame during Game 7 of the NBA Finals and block Andre Iguodala to seemingly remind everyone that he's the best player on the planet. Willing the Cleveland Cavaliers to a championship by averaging a near-triple-double didn't hurt his cause either. Bow down to King James.