It's Year 5 for #NBArank!
ESPN is ranking (almost) every NBA player and counting them down on Twitter (@ESPNNBA), from No. 400 to No. 1.
Who will be the best player this season?
To get the final ranking, we asked the panel to vote on pairs of players.
LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry. James Harden vs. Kevin Durant. Kobe Bryant vs. Pau Gasol.
We asked, "Which player will be better in 2015-16?" To decide, voters had to consider both the quality and quantity of each player's contributions to his team's ability to win games. More than 100 voters weighed in on nearly 30,000 pairs of players.
We'll roll out the results during the next five weeks. 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.
Today, we're unveiling Nos. 51-60 on our list -- one at a time every hour -- starting at 8:30 a.m. ET.
#NBArank: 51-60
51. Brook Lopez
Brooklyn Nets | C
Score: 50.6
Last year's rank: 49
2015-16 RPM: 0.24
Insider profile: When healthy, Lopez is one of the league's most skilled offensive centers. He's a threat with his back to the basket and is exceptionally accurate using a turnaround push shot. Lopez will even use the push shot as something of a floater from the perimeter. Read more »
52. DeMar DeRozan
Toronto Raptors | SF
@DeMar_DeRozan | Score: 50.6
Last year's rank: 35
2015-16 RPM: 0.41
Insider profile: DeRozan will almost certainly opt out of the $10.1 million he is scheduled to make in 2016-17, the last year of an extension that was widely panned at the time but has aged well. DeRozan would hit the market at age 26 with at least one All-Star appearance to his credit and two seasons (and counting) with at least 20 points per game. Yet advanced statistics suggest DeRozan is an average shooting guard and his comparable players (a group that includes Gerald Henderson, Richard Hamilton and Ron Mercer) have aged poorly. Read more »
53. Kyle Korver
Atlanta Hawks | SG
@KyleKorver | Score: 50.3
Last year's rank: 72
2015-16 RPM: 4.15
Insider profile: Who is more terrifying in transition: LeBron James or Kyle Korver? You might pick James every time, but Korver was actually more efficient in the open court. Korver shot a ridiculous 54.2 percent in transition last season, but that translates to 75.7 percent once we account for the added value of the 3-pointer. Read more »
54. Tony Parker
San Antonio Spurs | PG
@tonyparker | Score: 50.2
Last year's rank: 15
2015-16 RPM: -2.09
Insider profile: The Parker who led the league in points in the paint is now largely a thing of the past, a gradual decline accelerated by injury. Parker's percentage of attempts within 3 feet declined from 32.9 percent in 2013-14 to 25.5 percent last season, per Basketball-Reference.com. Read more »
55. Nikola Vucevic
Orlando Magic | C
@NikolaVucevic | Score: 50.0
Last year's rank: 85
2015-16 RPM: -0.66
Insider profile: Questions about Vucevic's actual on-court value are warranted. His -0.37 defensive RPM is dead-last among centers averaging over 30 minutes per game, and his rim-protection value ranked below-average, according to Seth Parnow's analysis at Nylon Calculus. Not helping his case is that the Magic are 1.1 points per 100 possessions better with him riding pine, per NBA.com. Read more »
56. Andre Iguodala
@andre | Score: 49.8
Last year's rank: 39
2015-16 RPM: 4.25
Insider profile: Winning the Finals MVP crystallized the intangible value of Iguodala, one of the best all-round players not known for his scoring prowess. He's probably the closest thing to Scottie Pippen we have in the game today. Read more »
57. Jonas Valanciunas
Toronto Raptors | C
@JValanciunas | Score: 49.7
Last year's rank: 91
2015-16 RPM: -1.22
Insider profile: Valanciunas improved his 2-point percentage from 53.1 percent to 57.2 percent while increasing his share in Toronto's offense. Valanciunas was one of the league's best post scorers on a per-play basis. His 51.3 percent shooting on post-ups ranked third among players with at least 100 attempts per Synergy Sports tracking on NBA.com/Stats. Read more »
58. Victor Oladipo
Orlando Magic | SG
@VicOladipo | Score: 49.7
Last year's rank: 81
2015-16 RPM: -0.17
Insider profile: Playing next to Elfrid Payton did wonders for Oladipo. Last season, in his sophomore campaign, Oladipo improved his shot efficiency at every distance except for long 2s, and he managed to attack more and settle less on the perimeter. Read more »
59. Tristan Thompson
Cleveland Cavaliers | PF
@RealTristan13 | Score: 48.6
Last year's rank: 126
2015-16 RPM: 0.03
Insider profile: Thompson is really good at one thing: offensive rebounding. Few are better, in fact. Last season he also finished effectively at the rim, though he again got shots blocked at a higher rate than more than 90 percent of NBA players. He's tireless, active and quick, all attributes that serve him well in pursuit of his teammates' misses. Read more »
60. Danny Green
San Antonio Spurs | SG
@DGreen_14 | Score: 48.1
Last year's rank: 87
2015-16 RPM: 4.21
Insider profile: Green is in the perfect spot for his game to flourish. He's a consistently dangerous 3-point shooter who benefits from the catch-and-shoot opportunities provided by the Spurs' offense. He has made between 41.5 percent and 43.6 percent of his 3s during four seasons as a starter. Read more »