NBA Rankings: The Top 5 Players at Every Position at the All-Star Break

As the All-Star break approaches, it is time to decide who is having the best season at their position. Is it Kevin Durant or LeBron James at small forward? Dwyane Wade or Kobe Bryant at shooting guard?

There are some controversial choices to make in ranking the five best players at each position. But that's what we all love about sports media, right?

Here are the top five guys at every position based on the first half of this year's NBA season.

No. 5 Point Guard: Steve Nash

I keep hearing people say that Steve Nash is getting old. I also keep watching him prove them wrong.

Nash is averaging 14 points and 11 assists per game while shooting the best field-goal percentage of his career (53 percent). It does hurt Nash's case that his team is just 13-19, but I have to give him credit for sticking with them.

He essentially is the team. Take him away, and the Suns are much, much worse.

No. 5 Shooting Guard: James Harden

James Harden may come off the bench, but he has starter-caliber talent. The Sixth Man of the Year candidate is averaging 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game off the bench. He also is shooting 47 percent from the field and 86 percent from the free-throw line.

Some may argue that Harden is too high here, but his season demands placement on this list. He bolsters one of the leagues best benches and would be a featured guy just about anywhere but Oklahoma City. 

No. 5 Small Forward: Luol Deng

Luol Deng is the unsung hero of the Chicago Bulls.

The 6'9" small forward is an elite defender, but can also shoot and score. He's averaging 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists for the Bulls and might be the most important player on the team not named Derrick Rose.

No. 5 Power Forward: Pau Gasol

Pau Gasol is having a lesser season by his own standards, which still is good enough to put him at No. 5 at his position.

The Spaniard is averaging 16 points, 11 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.3 blocks per game this season. Not stellar numbers compared to earlier years in his career, but any team would kill for that kind of production from their starting power forward.

No. 5 Center: DeAndre Jordan

DeAndre Jordan is the best of the rest when it comes to centers. This league is pretty center-thin right now, but Jordan has separated himself from the middle of the pack. 

He's averaging eight points and eight rebounds per game, along with 2.6 blocks, but the high-flyer's most impressive attribute is his ability to stand out on a star-studded Clippers team with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. 

No. 4 Point Guard: Tony Paker

When Manu Ginobili missed a big chunk of the season due to injury, it was Tony Parker who put the San Antonio Spurs on his back and carried them to an impressive 22-9 record.

Parker is averaging 19.4 points and 7.8 assists per game this season. That assists mark and his free-throw shooting percentage (80 percent) are the highest of his career.

No. 4 Shooting Guard: Joe Johnson

Joe Johnson is the 100 million dollar man in Atlanta. He's led the Hawks to a 19-12 record, which is just a half a game out of the third seed in the East.

Averaging 17.7 points, 3.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game, Johnson is helping his team win in every way he can. He'll have the opportunity to really prove himself in the playoffs.

No. 4 Small Forward: Danny Granger

Danny Granger is not having his best statistical season in 2011-12, averaging just 18 points per game and shooting 38 percent from the field. However, he has led Indiana to a 19-12 record, which has them fighting for position atop the Eastern Conference. 

A better statistical year would put Granger higher on this list.

No. 4 Power Forward: Chris Bosh

Chris Bosh is a big part of the Miami Heat's success. He's averaging 18 points, eight rebounds and two assists per game so far in the first half of the season.

Bosh is another unsung hero on the list, but he deserves this placement. He's shooting over 80 percent from the free-throw line and is playing some of the best defense of his career.

No. 4 Center: Tyson Chandler

The New York Knicks are playing defense. Tyson Chandler is mostly responsible for that phenomenon.

Chandler is averaging 11.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game for the Knicks so far. He's anchoring a team defense that, while mediocre by league-wide standards, is elite for the Knicks.

He's also shooting 70 percent from the field, which is almost higher than his free-throw percentage.

No. 3 Point Guard: Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook might be the most explosive point guard the game has ever seen. His elite athleticism allows him to get to the rim whenever he wants. He's big and strong for a point guard and is an underrated passer.

He leads all point guards in scoring at 23.2 points per game and is averaging 5.5 assist and nearly five rebounds. He'd be higher on this list if his assist numbers were better, but he's a certain type of point guard and is good at what he does. 

No. 3 Shooting Guard: Monta Ellis

Monta Ellis is averaging 22 points, nearly six assists and 3.4 rebounds per game for Golden State. Those are elite numbers for a shooting guard.

I know Ellis plays for Golden State, but this Warriors team is not the same one we've seen in past years. Ellis can score with the best of them and is very athletic.

Last I checked, that's what a shooting guard does.

No. 3 Small Forward: Rudy Gay

Rudy Gay does a bit of everything for the Memphis Grizzlies. He scores (18.9 ppg), he rebounds (6.6 rpg) and he defends (1.7 spg). Gay is the motor of this Grizzlies team.

That is especially true since the team lost power forward Zach Randolph to injury. Gay is doing what Randolph did for the team last year—lead by example. 

No. 3 Power Forward: Blake Griffin

Blake Griffin has the most potential of any power forward on the list and would be higher if it weren't for two other guys at his position having amazing seasons.

Griffin is averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds per game along with a couple of assists. He's shooting 53 percent from the field and his game is maturing nicely. He should be at the top of this list for the majority of the decade. 

No. 3 Center: Marc Gasol

Marc Gasol is the most well-rounded center in the league. He averages 15 points, 10 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.1 blocks and a steal per game.

Those are impressive numbers, especially when you consider that, like Rudy Gay, he has had to deal with the loss of Zach Randolph. Gasol is playing in just his fourth NBA season and has the potential to shoot to the top of this list in the future.

No. 2 Point Guard: Chris Paul

Chris Paul is the best pure point guard in the NBA, so why isn't he at the top of the list?

To put it simply, he hasn't had the best season at his position this year. It is close though.

He averaging 18 points and nearly nine assists per game. He also averages 2.3 steals per game, which immensely helps a Clippers team that isn't stellar defensively. He's also shooting 44 percent from three, which is the best of his career.

No. 2 Shooting Guard: Dwyane Wade

Dwyane Wade's stats have declined this season, but they are still good enough to make him the No. 2 shooting guard in the NBA.

Wade is averaging 22 points, 4.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game so far this season. Those are impressive stats just by themselves and are made more impressive when one considers that he has to share the ball with LeBron James and Chris Bosh.

No. 2 Small Forward: Kevin Durant

It was tough to put Kevin Durant at No. 2 on this list, especially after his 51-point performance against Denver, but he just isn't as complete a player as the other guy you'll see later on.

In his fourth year in the league, Durant is averaging 27.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 blocks. Each of those, except for the points, is a career high.

Durant's game continues to improve before our very eyes. He'll be elite for years to come and would probably be No. 2 on a list of the best players in the league.

No. 2 Power Forward: LaMarcus Aldridge

LaMarcus Aldridge is having a fantastic season so far. He's averaging 22.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while shooting above 50 percent from the field.

Brandon Roy's retirement thrust the role of playmaker onto Aldridge, and he has responded very well. He's the leader of this team, one that could make considerable noise come playoff time.

No. 2 Center: Andrew Bynum

Andrew Bynum looks to be the long-term future of the Los Angeles Lakers. The young center is averaging 16.3 points and 12.5 rebounds per game.

Right now, he's proving to be the most offensively gifted center in the NBA. He's also shooting 55 percent from the field and blocking over two shots per game.

No. 1 Point Guard: Derrick Rose

I know Derrick Rose has missed some time for the Bulls, but he's still had the best season of any point guard in the league.

He's averaging 22 points and 7.8 assists per game and is averaging less turnovers per game than last season when he won the MVP. Most importantly, his team is 25-8 and fighting for the No. 1 record in the league with the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder.

No. 1 Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant

Could I have put anyone else here? Kobe Bryant is averaging 29 points, 5.9 rebounds and five assists per game for the Lakers.

He looks like the Kobe Bryant of old that scored 81 on the Raptors. He's shooting 44 percent from the field and is leading the league in scoring in his 16th season. He's playing at an MVP level.

No. 1 Small Forward: LeBron James

LeBron James is having the best season of his career. He's scoring 27 points per game while also averaging eight rebounds and nearly seven assists.

You may be saying, "That's what he does every year," but here's what he's doing differently and better.

He finally has a post game that has made him unstoppable. He's shooting career-best percentages both from the field and from three-point range and his player efficiency rating leads the league at a little over 32.

Plus, his team is leading the league in winning percentage.

The MVP is his to lose.

No. 1 Power Forward: Kevin Love

I know that Kevin Love is a surprise at this spot on the list. I know you're thinking that this guy doesn't hold a candle to Blake Griffin. Hear me out.

Right now, Love is averaging 25.6 points and 14.2 rebounds per game. That puts him at fourth in the league in scoring and second in the league in rebounding.

He also averages two assists per game, is a better jump shooter than nearly any other power forward and shoots over 80 percent from the free-throw line.

Love has been the whole package this season. That's why he's the No. 1 power forward in the NBA right now.

No. 1 Center: Dwight Howard

This is a boring way to end this list. Everyone knew this guy would be in this spot.

Dwight Howard is doing his thing yet again this year. He's had seven games with 20 points and 20 rebounds, more than the rest of the NBA combined.

He's averaging 20.1 points, 15.3 rebounds and the most assists per game of his career at two. He's clearly the best center in the game. It's really not close at all.

The question is: Where will he play the second half of the season?