Updated NBA Superstar Rankings: Players with the Potential to Rise to No. 1

Although LeBron James has held down the No. 1 spot in each edition of the updated NBA superstar rankings throughout the 2012-13 campaign, he's not the only player capable of being the top dog in the future. 

In all likelihood, the Miami Heat's premier player will continue to hold down the fort, but a few other guys in these rankings could one day pass him. Sure, it might be years into the future, but it's still possible. 

Throughout these updated rankings, I'll be highlighting the players capable of ascending all the way to the top of the totem pole. 

Of course, you'll also get to see the rankings themselves, as well as how they've changed since last week's edition. 

Note: All stats, unless otherwise indicated, are current through Sunday, March 3. 

Injured Players

As a quick housekeeping note, injured players are not considered for the superstar 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, Kevin Love, Tony Parker, Rajon Rondo and Andrew Bynum will not be appearing, although they would certainly make the cut if healthy.

20. LaMarcus Aldridge (Previous Ranking: No. 20)

Team: Portland Trail Blazers

Position: PF/C

Age: 27

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 20.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.2 blocks, 0.8 steals, 19.64 PER

LaMarcus Aldridge hasn't been getting his shot to fall lately, but he's continuing to improve as a defender, especially as he gains momentum stopping opponents right around the rim. 

Now, if he could only push that field-goal percentage back up to a more respectable number, instead of the 47.6 percent he was sitting at through the first 56 games of his season. Over his last five games, Aldridge has knocked down only 38 of his 90 attempts. 

Between his shooting and declining rebounding numbers in recent games, Aldridge is barely holding on to his spot in the top 20. He'll have to pick up his performance in the next few contests in order to remain here next week. 

19. David West (Previous Ranking: Unranked)

Team: Indiana Pacers

Position: PF

Age: 32

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 17.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.1 blocks, 1.0 steals, 20.94 PER

David West might not be getting too much credit for the work he's done with the Indiana Pacers, but don't let that convince you he's not worthy of being called a star player. 

It's becoming more and more rare that West has a bad game, as he's contributing immensely on defense even when his shot isn't falling. And even more fortunately for the Pacers, those off-nights aren't happening too frequently. 

Over his last five games, West is averaging 22.4 points per game, well above his season average, and he's doing so on 54.8 percent shooting from the field. 

It's time that West gets a bit of credit. 

18. Jrue Holiday (Previous Ranking: No. 16)

Team: Philadelphia 76ers

Position: PG

Age: 22

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 19.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 0.4 blocks, 1.5 steals, 18.07 PER

What Jrue Holiday is doing for the Philadelphia 76ers is pretty darn impressive. He's handed an incredible workload on a nightly basis, but he's maintaining his level of play. 

Well, for the most part at least. 

Holiday's scoring figures have been up lately, but it's come at a price. His efficiency has declined slightly, although his turnover numbers are admittedly a bit skewed by his eight-turnover outing against the Golden State Warriors. 

Amazingly enough, that game against the Dubs was the Sixers' only victory in their last five outings.

17. Tim Duncan (Previous Ranking: No. 15)

Team: San Antonio Spurs

Position: PF/C

Age: 36

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 16.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.7 blocks, 0.8 steals, 24.18 PER

Tim Duncan hadn't been quite as impressive since returning to action as he was before he missed an extended portion of the season with a knee injury, but he's turning it back up again. 

That's good news for the San Antonio Spurs, seeing as it's now Tony Parker's turn to spend time in a suit while his teammates go to work. 

Over his last two games, Duncan has put up performances at least resembling those vintage, well-rounded stat lines that we've come to expect from The Big Fundamental. Against the Sacramento Kings and Detroit Pistons, Duncan averaged 14.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 4.0 blocks and 1.5 steals per game on 12-of-22 shooting.

Still, that's not quite up to the standards he's set for himself in terms of volume. 

16. Joakim Noah (Previous Ranking: No. 19)

Team: Chicago Bulls

Position: C

Age: 28

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 12.1 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.3 blocks, 1.3 steals, 17.77 PER

When you put up a historic triple-double while playing with plantar fasciitis, you know you're going to move up in the rankings. 

Against the Philadelphia 76ers, Joakim Noah recorded an insane line, highlighted by his 23 points, 21 rebounds and 11 blocks. Amazingly enough, those aren't the only positive ways in which he contributed. 

Triple-doubles can sometimes be less stellar. A player might not contribute in any other categories. He might have a boatload of turnovers. He might shoot far too often and hurt his team with all the misses. 

Noah did none of these things, recording three turnovers, an assist and three steals while shooting 8-of-12 from the field. 

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

Team: Memphis Grizzlies

Position: C

Age: 28

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 13.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.6 blocks, 0.9 steals, 19.41 PER

Marc Gasol finally seems to be showing a bit of aggression on the offensive end of the court. He found his way to the free-throw line over and over again while playing the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat, allowing him to break past the 20-point threshold in back-to-back outings. 

Someone had to step up and shoulder the scoring load after Rudy Gay was traded away from the Memphis Grizzlies, and Gasol appears to be taking on some of that responsibility. 

Fortunately for the Grizz, it hasn't required him sacrificing his versatility. After all, his ability to do things like drop 11 dimes against the Orlando Magic is a major part of what makes him such a special big man. 

Gasol is the first player in these rankings who has the potential to someday rise up to the No. 1 spot. 

14. Paul George (Previous Ranking: No. 13)

Team: Indiana Pacers

Position: SG/SF

Age: 22

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 17.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 0.7 blocks, 1.8 steals, 17.22 PER

Paul George has been an absolute monster on the glass recently, and he's dealing out assists left and right, but he hasn't been able to score efficiently. That's what causes his slight drop in the rankings. 

Although George is averaging 17 points per game during his past five games—only a bit below his seasonal average—he's doing so on 41.8 percent shooting. His performance at the charity stripe hasn't helped either, as he's knocked down just 66.7 percent of those attempts. 

If this is the fall back to earth for our newly-minted All-Star, then he's in for a remarkably successful career. 

Assuming he continues to develop, George could one day challenge an older LeBron James for the No. 1 spot in these rankings, at least for a short span. 

13. Stephen Curry (Previous Ranking: No. 18)

Team: Golden State Warriors

Position: PG

Age: 24

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 22.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 0.2 blocks, 1.7 steals, 20.70 PER

Stephen Curry has been granted a massive boost in the rankings, and despite his consistently great play over the past week, that's almost all due to a single performance. 

The Golden State Warriors might not have been able to steal a win from the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden, but Curry put on a show. 

Dropping 54 points—more than any other player has scored during the 2012-13 campaign—Curry entertained the masses with his prowess from behind the three-point arc. He drilled 11 triples, leaving him one shy of the all-time record. 

And because that wasn't enough, he recorded six rebounds, seven assists and three steals for good measure. 

12. David Lee (Previous Ranking: No. 12)

Team: Golden State Warriors

Position: PF/C

Age: 29

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 18.8 points, 11.3 rebound, 3.8 assists, 0.3 blocks, 0.9 steals, 19.35 PER

David Lee has been absolutely sensational on the glass during his last week-and-a-half of NBA performances. 

During those four games—excluding the contest he missed against the New York Knicks due to suspension—the 29-year-old power forward averaged 15 rebounds per game. The highlight was a 19-board outing in a low-scoring affair against the Boston Celtics. 

Unfortunately for Lee, the Golden State Warriors haven't really been winning games. It's hard to pin the blame on this All-Star, but he could be shooting the ball a bit more effectively. 

11. Al Horford (Previous Ranking: No. 14)

Team: Atlanta Hawks

Position: PF/C

Age: 26

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 17.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 blocks, 1.0 steals, 20.04 PER

Al Horford's ridiculous run through the rest of the NBA just continues to march on. 

After scoring 18 points and grabbing 13 boards in a loss to the Denver Nuggets, this Florida product has made more shots than he's missed in 10 straight games. Amazingly enough, that 18-point outing was his lowest point total during the streak. 

Horford averaged 21.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals per game during February, and he's played remarkably well during the early portion of March as well. 

10. Kyrie Irving (Previous Ranking: No. 10)

Team: Cleveland Cavaliers

Position: PG

Age: 20

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 23.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 0.4 blocks, 1.6 steals, 22.69 PER

Kyrie Irving has only played one game since the last edition of these rankings, so it's tough to move him up or down too much. Instead, he's going to be jumped by one player and remain in the same position due to Tony Parker's injury-prompted disappearance. 

In that contest against the New York Knicks, Irving helped get his team out to an early lead, but he wasn't able to hold off the charge. Despite his 22 points, five rebounds and six assists, the Knicks stormed back and won by five. 

Hopefully, the former No. 1 pick stays healthy from this point forward. If he does, don't be surprised when Irving is battling it out for the top spot in these rankings. 

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

Team: Los Angeles Clippers

Position: PF

Age: 23

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 18.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.7 blocks, 1.4 steals, 23.78 PER

Blake Griffin has been on super mega-fire ever since the Los Angeles Clippers lost to the San Antonio Spurs right after the All-Star break. 

Since that outing, the league's best healthy (and true) power forward has averaged 19.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.2 blocks and 0.8 steals on 64.5 percent shooting from the field. He's even knocked down two-thirds of his attempts from the free-throw line. 

But, of course, all Griffin does is dunk, so who cares?

8. James Harden (Previous Ranking: No. 5)

Team: Houston Rockets

Position: SG

Age: 23

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 26.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 0.5 blocks, 1.9 steals, 23.68 PER

James Harden is still playing absolutely fantastic basketball on the offensive end of the court, but he hasn't been quite as involved in the scoring as normal. 

Over his past five games, the bearded shooting guard is averaging "only" 23.8 points per game, and he's doing so on 44.6 percent shooting from the field. Harden typically makes up for his missed shots by getting to the free-throw line and converting, but he's made his way to that special line 2.1 fewer times per game during that span and is shooting a lower percentage. 

Don't worry, though, Houston Rockets fans. I'm sure it won't take too long before Harden has another 40-plus-point outing. 

Plus, as good as he is on offense, a little bit of defensive presence would allow him to ascend all the way up the leaderboard at some point. Really, though, from this point forward in the rankings, each player has No. 1 potential. 

7. Chris Paul (Previous Ranking: No. 8)

Team: Los Angeles Clippers

Position: PG

Age: 27

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 16.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 0.1 blocks, 2.5 steals, 26.11 PER

This is the point at which I get to remind everyone that these are power rankings and not overall rankings of the top 20 players in the NBA. 

Even though Chris Paul falls in at No. 7, he'd rank in the top five if these were of the overall variety. And he's still the best point guard in the Association.  

CP3 just hasn't been able to regain his pre-injury form quite yet. There have been flashes of brilliance, like his 29-point outing against the Indiana Pacers' stingy defense and his 15-assist showing in an easy win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

The problem is that those have been flashes. Paul hasn't honed in his shot quite yet, and his assist numbers have been rather inconsistent. 

6. Carmelo Anthony (Previous Ranking: No. 7)

Team: New York Knicks

Position: SF/PF

Age: 28

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 28.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.5 blocks, 0.8 steals, 23.42 PER

Carmelo Anthony still hasn't been able to find his stroke from downtown, but he's scoring at a ridiculously high rate right now. 

Over his past five games, Melo has averaged 31.6 points per game (not counting his 14-minute injury-shortened outing against the Cleveland Cavaliers). His 41.4 shooting from the field might not look too promising, but his free-throw shooting has more than made up for it. 

The New York Knicks' star has gotten to the charity stripe at a ridiculous high rate with his 13.4 attempts per contest. He's converted 88.1 percent of them. 

As long as you're doing that, it almost doesn't matter how many shots you miss from the field. 

Almost. 

5. Russell Westbrook (Previous Ranking: No. 9)

Team: Oklahoma City Thunder

Position: PG

Age: 24

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 23.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 7.9 assists, 0.3 blocks, 1.8 steals, 23.74 PER

What Russell Westbrook has done during his past five contests is nothing short of spectacular. 

Critics of the dynamic point guard might just want to move on at this point, because it's awfully difficult to find fault with what he's done recently. He's not turning the ball over often, and his shooting has been quite efficient from all areas of the court. 

Westbrook has averaged 31.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game, and he's shot 54.5 percent from the field, 46.2 percent form behind the three-point arc and 84 percent on the freebies during that span. 

When you eviscerate Ty Lawson and Chris Paul in a three-day stretch, you know you're doing well. 

4. Dwyane Wade (Previous Ranking: No. 6)

Team: Miami Heat

Position: SG

Age: 31

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 21.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 0.8 blocks, 1.7 steals, 24.38 PER

During the Miami Heat's franchise-best winning streak, LeBron James has drawn all of the attention. Unfortunately for Dwyane Wade, that means that he's gone to work in the shadows. 

The shooting guard has been absolutely sensational, but he isn't receiving proper credit. After Wade's outing in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, he's shot at least 50 percent from the field in each of his past seven showings. 

During those seven games, Wade has averaged 26.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.7 steals per contest. Those are incredible numbers, especially when coupled with 60.9 percent shooting from the field. 

Not bad for a second option, huh?

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

Team: Oklahoma City Thunder

Position: SF

Age: 24

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 28.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.2 blocks, 1.5 steals, 28.70 PER

If you're feeling like it's weird to see Kevin Durant out of the No. 2 spot in these rankings, trust me, it is for me too. 

However, while Durant has rebounded the ball quite well and is dishing out the rock at a high level, his scoring has dipped. Seeing as that's the 24-year-old's biggest strength, that's a bit problematic. 

Over his past five games, the Durantula has averaged "only" 24.8 points per game, a number boosted rather significantly by his 35-point showing in a close victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. That's a terrific average for most players in the Association, but not for the three-time reigning scoring champion. 

Moreover, Durant has shot only 43.8 percent from the field, is knocking down three-pointers at a lower efficiency and volume than he has throughout the 2012-13 season and has done the same from the charity stripe. 

It's not enough for Durant to drop below No. 3, but it is enough to push him out of the spot he's occupied for so long. 

2. Kobe Bryant (Previous Ranking: No. 3)

Team: Los Angeles Lakers

Position: SG

Age: 34

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 27.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 0.3 blocks, 1.3 steals, 23.21 PER

What Kobe Bryant is doing at 34 years old is simply phenomenal, and he's undoubtedly the biggest reason that the Los Angeles Lakers have been able to stay somewhat afloat during the 2012-13 campaign. 

If it weren't for Kobe...well, yikes. 

Now it seems like the All-Star break allowed Kobe to come out firing with some fresh legs. In his past five games, he's drilled 56.9 percent of his attempts and is averaging a jaw-dropping 34.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. 

It takes a special player to ascend into the top two, and the Mamba has been pretty damn special. 

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

Team: Miami Heat

Position: SF/PF

Age: 28

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 27.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 0.8 blocks, 1.7 steals, 31.75 PER

LeBron James' game is just unbelievably well rounded. No matter what he wants to do on the basketball court, he can most likely do it—with the exception of knocking down freebies at an elite rate. 

Just look at his three-game stretch going into a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves that stretched the Miami Heat's streak to 15 straight wins. During those three contests, the best player in basketball averaged 29 points, nine rebounds, 11 assists, one block and just under three steals per game. 

In fact, let's look at James' worst game to show just how dominant he's become. 

Against the suffocating defense of the Memphis Grizzlies, James had a rare off night. He made only four of his 14 attempts from the field, finishing with 18 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists, a block and two steals. 

That's as bad as it gets from LeBron lately, and he still flirted with a triple-double while helping the Heat continue on in their winning ways.