NBA Player Power Rankings: Where Top 20 Stars Stand at End of 2012

2012 has been filled with plenty of terrific performances, highlights and victories for plenty of stars, but only 20 players can make the year's final edition of the NBA Player Power Rankings. 

With three new players present and a whole host of holidays before the next edition, these are some rankings that you'll definitely want to check out. 

Despite the changes, though, there are some constants. For the most part, our MVP candidates have continued to look like, well, MVP candidates. 

To see how Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and the rest of the Association's top stars stack up going into the holiday season—as well as how they've risen or fallen since last week's edition—you'll have to read on.

Note: All stats, unless otherwise indicated, are current through Sunday, Dec. 23. 

Injured Players

As a quick housekeeping note, injured players are not considered for the star player power rankings. If a player is out for a prolonged period of time, he's automatically ineligible for the next 20 slides.

Therefore, Derrick Rose and Andrew Bynum will not be appearing, although they would certainly make the cut if healthy.

Honorable Mentions

Tyson Chandler, C, New York Knicks

It's not often that you find a defensive stopper who can average double-digit points per game while shooting over 70 percent from the field. 

Stephen Curry, PG, Golden State Warriors

The babyfaced point guard caught fire from downtown this week, hitting 19 three-pointers in four games. 

Serge Ibaka, PF, Oklahoma City Thunder

The Congolese big man continues to be effective from mid-range while terrorizing opponents who make the mistake of driving into the lane while he's on the court. 

Kevin Love, PF, Minnesota Timberwolves

Still the most talented player at his position in the NBA, this Minnesota Timberwolves superstar needs to regain his shooting stroke before he can take his rightful place in the top 10. 

Anderson Varejao, C, Cleveland Cavaliers

The floppy-haired center's numbers have gone down lately as the Cleveland Cavaliers continue to lose, but he's still rebounding the ball better than anyone else in the Association. 

20. David Lee (Previous Ranking: Unranked)

Team: Golden State Warriors

Position: PF/C

Age: 29

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 20.0 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.2 blocks, 0.9 steals, 21.24 PER

David Lee's offense has been absolutely fantastic thus far. No matter how you look at it, he's making an overwhelmingly positive impact on that end of the court for the Golden State Warriors. 

However, it's tough to move him up any further in the rankings until he starts playing defense. 

NBA.com's advanced stats show that the Dubs are better off defensively when Lee is getting rest on the bench. According to 82games.com, Lee is allowing opposing power forwards and centers to post PERs of 16.8 and 20.5, respectively, against him while essentially splitting time defensively between the two positions. 

19. Joakim Noah (Previous Ranking: Unranked)

Team: Chicago Bulls

Position: C

Age: 27

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 13.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.2 blocks, 1.4 steals, 18.09 PER

Joakim Noah has been able to affect a basketball game in more ways than any other center in the league during the 2012-13 campaign. That doesn't make him the best big man in the league, just the one able to make the most well-rounded impact. 

If Noah's not playing incredible defense, anchoring the Chicago Bulls in the paint, he's allowing the offense to run through him. Although the former Florida Gator doesn't score too many points for a superstar, his incredible passing skills make him a viable option on the more glamorous end of the court. 

18. Zach Randolph (Previous Ranking: No. 14)

Team: Memphis Grizzlies

Position: PF

Age: 31

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 16.8 points, 12.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 blocks, 0.8 steals, 20.17 PER

Zach Randolph may have posted four more double-doubles during the past week, but he wasn't quite as dominant as he's been throughout the 2012-13 season. 

The big man didn't shoot too efficiently from the field, and he failed to make his way to the charity stripe as well. Sure, he made six of his seven freebies, but he only managed to attempt seven of them all week. 

17. Paul Pierce (Previous Ranking: Unranked)

Team: Boston Celtics

Position: SF

Age: 35

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.3 blocks, 1.7 steals, 21.16 PER

Paul Pierce was shooting the ball too inefficiently to even be on the radar for these rankings when the calendars flipped to December. Now he's squarely within the confines of the top 20 after one of the most remarkable offensive weeks this league has seen during the 2012-13 season. 

While playing the underrated defense he's given the Boston Celtics throughout the campaign, Pierce averaged 30.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game on 65.3 percent shooting during his three-game stretch before Christmas. 

The highlight was undoubtedly a 40-point outing on 13-of-16 shooting from the field in a 103-91 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

16. Marc Gasol (Previous Ranking: No. 17)

Team: Memphis Grizzlies

Position: C

Age: 27

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 14.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.8 blocks, 0.8 steals, 20.06 PER

Marc Gasol's week would have looked significantly better if it wasn't for the 1-of-7 brickfest against the Chicago Bulls. 

Other than that performance, though, Gasol has been a remarkably consistent force for the Memphis Grizzlies. He may not dominate in any one facet of the game, but he performs admirably in all of them. 

The Spanish center continues to be a major reason for the Grizzlies' hot start to the 2012-13 season. 

15. Kyrie Irving (Previous Ranking: No. 13)

Team: Cleveland Cavaliers

Position: PG

Age: 20

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 22.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.3 blocks, 1.2 steals, 20.30 PER

Kyrie Irving slowed down a bit this past week, topping out at 23 points during the four-week stretch.

Although he continues to be a dynamic and efficient scorer, Irving's defense and control over the ball need a little bit of work. The young floor general has some of the best handles in basketball, but he's occasionally overconfident in what he can do. 

Irving averaged four turnovers per contest during the last four games before Christmas, including a sloppy game against the defensively potent Indiana Pacers in which he coughed it up six times.  

14. Chris Bosh (Previous Ranking: No. 10)

Team: Miami Heat

Position: PF/C

Age: 28

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 18.0 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 blocks, 0.8 steals, 22.33 PER

Chris Bosh continues to play quite well for the Miami Heat, but he's been less involved in the offense lately. That's not as problematic, though, because of the remarkable efficiency with which he plays on that end of the court. 

The more negative sign is that the big man has been working his way further and further from the basket, thus negating his ability to make an impact on the boards. Over the last three games he played in before Christmas, Bosh only averaged five rebounds per contest. 

13. Dwight Howard (Previous Ranking: No. 12)

Team: Los Angeles Lakers

Position: C

Age: 27

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 17.8 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.6 blocks, 1.1 steals, 20.52 PER

Dwight Howard has been playing himself back into shape, but he's still struggling to stay involved on both ends of the court. He's clearly ceded to Kobe Bryant on offense, and his mobility has been rather limited on defense. 

That said, Howard has been rebounding with a vengeance and gaining some much-needed confidence from the free-throw line. In fact, he hasn't missed more foul shots than he's made since Dec. 2. 

12. Rajon Rondo (Previous Ranking: No. 9)

Team: Boston Celtics

Position: PG

Age: 26

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 12.2 assists, 0.3 blocks, 2.0 steals, 19.83 PER

Rajon Rondo has limited his turnovers more successfully while providing a nice scoring boost for the Boston Celtics, but his assists are down. That's not saying too much, as the talented point guard still averaged nine dimes per contest during the past week.

More importantly, though, the C's aren't winning games frequently enough. Part of the reason for this has been Rondo's surprising inability to keep opposing point guards in check. 

In the first game of the week, a loss to the Chicago Bulls, Nate Robinson exploded for 18 points and four assists off the bench. Then, Kyrie Irving scored 22 points while shooting 9-of-17 for the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Finally, Brandon Jennings pulled a Rondo and threatened the triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and eight dimes. 

On the season, Rondo is allowing a 15.9 PER to opposing point guards, according to 82games.com. While that's not a poor mark by any stretch of the imagination, it's nowhere near the 10.7 PER he gave up to opposing floor generals during the 2011-12 campaign. 

11. James Harden (Previous Ranking: No. 16)

Team: Houston Rockets

Position: SG

Age: 23

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 25.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.5 blocks, 1.8 steals, 22.88 PER

After an inconsistent stretch filled with both great performances and nights of poor shooting, James Harden has turned it up a notch. During the last four games before his Christmas Day showdown with the Chicago Bulls, he topped or hit 28 points in each contest. 

He averaged 30 points per game during that stretch, but he did so in remarkably efficient fashion. The bearded shooting guard shot 52.5 percent from the field, and that's including a 7-of-18 showing.

In addition, Harden has been getting to the free-throw line early and often, playing with more aggression as he learns to coexist with Jeremy Lin. 

10. Blake Griffin (Previous Ranking: No. 11)

Team: Los Angeles Clippers

Position: PF

Age: 23

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 18.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 0.7 blocks, 1.6 steals, 22.85 PER*

The notion that Blake Griffin is a one-dimensional player is completely and utterly wrong. If you think this guy is overrated because of his highlight dunks, you're sorely mistaken and missing out on watching and evaluating an incredible basketball player. 

Griffin has continued to get better and better as the 2012-13 season has progressed. He passes the ball as well as any big man, and his defense has been trending upward as his scoring has gotten even more impressive on offense. 

*While the per-game stats are accurate through Sunday, Dec. 23, the PER is accurate through Saturday, Dec. 22. 

9. Tony Parker (Previous Ranking: No. 8)

Team: San Antonio Spurs

Position: PG

Age: 30

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 19.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 0.1 blocks, 0.8 steals, 22.25 PER*

Tony Parker's stats weren't all that glamorous during his latest week of action, but they did come in efficient fashion. 

Throughout the week, the French floor general minimized his turnovers while finding ways to draw contact and get to the charity stripe. He continued to play with control, maximizing the chances of success for the San Antonio Spurs. 

Parker is one of the better mid-range shooters that the NBA has to offer, but he's starting to expand his range and has been letting fly from three-point range more often.

*While the per-game stats are accurate through Sunday, Dec. 23, the PER is accurate through Saturday, Dec. 22. 

8. Dwyane Wade (Previous Ranking: No. 15)

Team: Miami Heat

Position: SG

Age: 30

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 19.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 0.6 blocks, 1.3 steals, 22.90 PER

Hey look, we found that vintage Dwyane Wade that everyone has been searching for during the 2012-13 season. 

While stepping up his defensive efforts, the Miami Heat's star shooting guard has been on fire offensively. During the three-game stretch against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz, Wade averaged 21.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game on 56.1 percent shooting from the field and a 17-of-21 performance from the charity stripe. 

Wade has been great, not elite, for most of this season. That's starting to change again. 

7. Russell Westbrook (Previous Ranking: No. 7)

Team: Oklahoma City Thunder

Position: PG

Age: 24

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 21.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 0.3 blocks, 2.1 steals, 22.75 PER

Russell Westbrook had a tough shooting week and turned the ball over eight times against the Minnesota Timberwolves, going into takeover mode a little too often in the loss that ended the Oklahoma City Thunder's 12-game win streak. 

That said, no one immediately trailing him in the power rankings stood out enough to move past the talented point guard and take over the No. 7 spot. 

He continued to play lockdown defense while dishing out the ball successfully to his teammates and getting to the foul stripe often throughout the week. As is always the case with Westbrook, there's a lot of good and some bad. 

6. Tim Duncan (Previous Ranking: No. 6)

Team: San Antonio Spurs

Position: PF/C

Age: 36 

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 17.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.5 blocks, 0.9 steals, 25.25 PER*

Tim Duncan is clearly starting to decline after only tallying 15 points, five rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal against the Dallas Mavericks. 

Oh wait. That was because he was so dominant in the early portion of the game that he only needed to be on the court for 23 minutes.

Never mind, then. 

Duncan continues to enjoy a fantastic season, and his legendary performance in a loss to the Denver Nuggets is more emblematic of how he's been playing. Here's a quote from my latest set of power rankings:

"

It's almost inconceivable that a 36-year-old big man can record 31 points, 18 rebounds, six assists, two steals and five blocks in two games, let alone in a single contest. 

Since the start of the 1985-86 season, only five other performances have matched or exceeded each of those marks: Shaquille O'Neal in 2001, Robert Parish in 1986 (at age 33), David Robinson in 1994 and Duncan twice more in the 2003 postseason. 

"

*While the per-game stats are accurate through Sunday, Dec. 23, the PER is accurate through Saturday, Dec. 22.

5. Kobe Bryant (Previous Ranking: No. 4)

Team: Los Angeles Lakers

Position: SG

Age: 34

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 29.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 0.2 blocks, 1.6 steals, 25.26 PER

How we evaluate Kobe Bryant is about to change. 

Up through Dec. 22, Kobe was the unquestioned man in charge for the Los Angeles Lakers. The offense flowed through him because it had to, and he enjoyed one of the more remarkable stretches of his career, averaging nearly 30 points per game in efficient fashion. 

Now that Steve Nash is back in the lineup, Kobe has an incredible point guard at his disposal. Ball control doesn't need to happen to nearly the same extent. 

However, it did in Kobe's latest game alongside Nash, the first since the Canadian returned from his broken leg. Bryant lofted up 41 shots, making only 16 of them and somehow only going to the free-throw line once. 

Although he was fantastic down the stretch and helped the Lakers win the game in overtime, he can't completely take over the offense like that on a nightly basis. 

4. Chris Paul (Previous Ranking: No. 5)

Team: Los Angeles Clippers

Position: PG

Age: 27

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 16.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 9.6 assists, 0.1 blocks, 2.7 steals, 26.08 PER*

If you were wondering whether or not Chris Paul had lost his ability to score over 20 points because of his play during the Los Angeles Clippers' lengthy string of victories, he answered that question with 24 points against the Sacramento Kings. 

And of course, he's continued to prove that he's elite in every facet of the game (except being tall and grabbing boards) throughout the stretch. 

No play summed up CP3 more for me than seeing him hit 5,000 assists and fail to realize that he'd reached the milestone. He's too competitive to think about such frivolities during the game. 

*While the per-game stats are accurate through Sunday, Dec. 23, the PER is accurate through Saturday, Dec. 22. 

3. Carmelo Anthony (Previous Ranking: No. 3)

Team: New York Knicks

Position: SF/PF

Age: 28

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 28.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.6 blocks, 1.0 steals, 26.37 PER*

Scoring 19 of his 33 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter to spark a New York Knicks comeback was just the feather in the cap for Carmelo Anthony. In this case, the cap has been an MVP-worthy pre-Christmas portion of the 2012-13 season. 

Melo picked back up where he left off after returning from an ankle injury against the Brooklyn Nets. In the three games since the injury, he's averaged 31.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 blocks and 2.0 steals per game. 

*While the per-game stats are accurate through Sunday, Dec. 23, the PER is accurate through Saturday, Dec. 22. 

2. Kevin Durant (Previous Ranking: No. 2)

Team: Oklahoma City Thunder

Position: SF

Age: 24

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 27.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.3 blocks, 1.5 steals, 28.38 PER

Kevin Durant has reached a ridiculously high level on offense. 

When I was watching him torch my Atlanta Hawks for 41 points on 14-of-23 shooting, it just seemed like he couldn't miss in the second half. As soon as the ball left his hand, I knew that I could blink because the ball was going to swish through the net without hitting the rim. 

Durant is now on pace to join the exclusive 50/40/90 club. On the season, he's shooting 52.1 percent from the field, 42.7 percent from downtown and 90.4 from the charity stripe. 

He's just not even fair on offense. Just ask Andrei Kirilenko. 

The Minnesota Timberwolves defensive ace is the prototype defender against Durant, and the superstar still dropped 33 points on 12-of-21 shooting against him. 

1. LeBron James (Previous Ranking: No. 1)

Team: Miami Heat

Position: SF/PF

Age: 27

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 25.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 0.8 blocks, 1.3 steals, 29.16 PER

I'm sorry if it's getting boring to see LeBron James in the No. 1 spot, but there's no sensible way to knock him out of it. 

Here's what ESPN's Tom Haberstroh had to say about his MVP vote through the first trimester of the 2012-13 season: 

"

I'd be fine with Kevin Durant winning this fake award, but LeBron is No. 1 in PER and a defensive player of the year candidate on a title contender. I mean, he hasn't been called for a foul since the 2:30 mark in the first quarter of a game on Dec. 8. That's 212 minutes without a whistle. Considering all he does on both ends of the floor, it's LeBron's award to lose.

"

Durant is very much a "1B" to LeBron's "1A" at this point, and the gap between the two superstars has narrowed dramatically. 

However, what LeBron does on a nightly basis simply can't be matched by anyone else. 

Just as he came into 2012, LeBron leaves the year looking back at the rest of the NBA.