My annual ESPN Insider position rankings are back.
To formulate the rankings, I study each player's on-court performance and advanced metrics, including wins above replacement player (WARP) and real plus-minus (RPM). Then I slot the players as I see them, according to their predicted quality of play for this season.
1. Andre Drummond
Team: Detroit Pistons
RPM PF rank: No. 14
WARP PF rank: No. 2
Overall #NBArank: No. 30
Hidden talent: Some prolific rebounders pad their numbers by gobbling up all the easy defensive boards, often with their teammates' help, but Drummond's been in the top seven percent the last two years in corralling contested rebounds, per SportVu.
Taking it to the next level: Drummond must develop a reliable post move. He doesn't have to be Kareem on the low block, but he does need to be good enough to attract more frequent double teams.
2. DeAndre Jordan
Team: Los Angeles Clippers
RPM rank: No. 1
WARP rank: No. 4
#NBArank: No. 25
Jordan has a case for No. 1, but Drummond has an edge in most areas save for shot efficiency. More crucially, Jordan is a full-formed center square in his prime, while Drummond owns the accelerated growth curve of a player five years younger.
Hidden talent: Jordan's game has all the subtlety of a knee to the groin. What you might have missed is that Jordan has ranked in the top percent in transition efficiency each of the last three years, per Synergy.
Taking it to the next level: As with Drummond, we'll bypass the unspeakable free throw shooting. Jordan needs to strike a better balance between protecting the rim and checking his primary defensive assignment.
3. Tim Duncan
Team: San Antonio Spurs
RPM rank: No. 4
WARP rank: No. 5
#NBArank: No. 23
With LaMarcus Aldridge around to serve as the Spurs' top post threat, Duncan is easing more into a supporting role on offense. No matter. In terms of efficiency and defensive impact, this guy just doesn't age.
Hidden talent: After 19 years, we know everything about Duncan, right? Let's highlight his passing. Among centers -- even those who won't admit that it's their position -- Duncan ranks fourth all-time in assists. In the next month, he's going to overtake Bill Russell for third and will trail only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain.
Taking it to the next level: There is no level past the upper tier of the Hall of Fame.
4. Rudy Gobert
Team: Utah Jazz
RPM rank: No. 8
WARP rank: No. 3
#NBArank: No. 42
As much as any franchise, the Jazz have proved that you don't just mail in those late first-round picks or second-rounders. Every pick is an opportunity to land someone like Gobert, whom Utah nabbed at No. 27 in 2013. If we re-picked that draft today, Gobert and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo would vie for the top overall selection.
Hidden talent: Gobert may already be the NBA's most impactful defensive player. At this position, that carries a lot of weight. Yet Gobert's offensive efficiency also helps justify his lofty ranking. That efficiency is bolstered by a foul-drawing rate that is elite when adjusted for usage.
Taking it to the next level: Gobert is a non-disaster at the foul line, but he could do a lot better.
5. Dwight Howard
Team: Houston Rockets
RPM rank: No. 2
WARP rank: No. 13
#NBArank: No. 14
Howard can still look like the game's best center on any given night. However, he missed 41 games last season, and back problems have plagued him early this year. Durability concerns aside, Howard remains firmly in the ranks of star-caliber big men.
Hidden talent: Howard's recent performance record is a tour de force of consistency. One example: His field-goal percentages at the rim in the last three years have been .688, .684 and .683, per NBA.com/Stats.
Taking it to the next level: Howard is playing for a heightened historical status. And for that, he needs to win a ring while he's still a primary player. With the Rockets, Howard might be on the right team to do just that.
6. Hassan Whiteside
Team: Miami Heat
RPM rank: No. 23
WARP rank: No. 1
#NBArank: No. 68
He's like Cinderella with more technical fouls -- or maybe Roy Hobbs. However you frame it, in the course of a season Whiteside has gone from flop to fame.
Hidden talent: Whiteside has become the league's best shot blocker, yet he doesn't foul. Since he arrived in Miami, Whiteside's 1.07 blocks for every foul is the third-best ratio in the league, behind Anthony Davis and Gobert.
Taking it to the next level: It's tempting to believe Whiteside will turn into a pumpkin. Early this season, he's outplaying projections that seemed outlandish when they came out. He's real, and if he keeps up his current pace for a full season, everyone will believe it.
7. Al Horford
Team: Atlanta Hawks
RPM rank: No. 10
WARP rank: No. 7
#NBArank: No. 24
Horford's ability to do everything well on both ends of the floor makes him one of the most utilitarian players in the league. This is the kind of guy you build around if you want a group with as much synergy as the Hawks.
Hidden talent: A new talent! Long one of the most reliable midrange shooters in the league, Horford is now taking more of those shots from behind the arc. Entering this season, Horford had taken one 3 about every eighth game. Now he's averaging 3.4.
Taking it to the next level: Because Horford is so good around the hoop, he's going to have to balance his new floor-spacing game with his proven abilities.
8. Marc Gasol
Team: Memphis Grizzlies
RPM rank: No. 9
WARP rank: No. 10
#NBArank: No. 10
Gasol was the league's first-team All-NBA center last season. But the season before that, it was Joakim Noah, who's now coming off the bench in Chicago. This is a position that evolves in a hurry, and Gasol just doesn't look right physically in the season's early going.
Hidden talent: Gasol isn't known as a player who creates off the dribble, but he makes the most of his forays to the basket. In 2014-15 Gasol owned the second-highest points-per-drive figure of the last three seasons, per SportVu.
Taking it to the next level: Synergy's catch-and-shoot numbers show that Gasol invariably shoots better when guarded than when left open. He's got to get on that. A freebie's a freebie.
9. Karl-Anthony Towns
Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
RPM rank: No. 26
WARP rank: No. 26
#NBArank: No. 75
The King of the North! Generally, it's best practice to give an edge to players with a body of evidence that backs up our eyeball observations. Towns has played fewer than 10 NBA games, and I'm sold.
Hidden talent: The Wolves haven't called on it much yet, and maybe it's for the best, but Towns has briefly flashed the 3-point stroke we heard whispers of leading up to the draft. We'll see it more in coming seasons.
Taking it to the next level: Towns is so skilled, he'll have to avoid the trap of avoiding contact just because he can. Going forward, you'd like to see a higher foul-drawing rate.
10. Jonas Valanciunas
Team: Toronto Raptors
RPM rank: No. 25
WARP rank: No. 15
#NBArank: No. 57
Valanciunas has steadily improved as a pro, and his peak seasons still lie ahead of him. You often feel like the only thing holding him back is an odd lack of confidence in him shown by his coach and teammates.
Hidden talent: The physical Valanciunas draws a good number of fouls, and unlike some of the players ahead of him in the rankings, he's actually a solid foul shooter. That shooting touch offers hope he'll eventually fine-tune a pick-and-pop game that will diversify his arsenal.
Taking it to the next level: Valanciunas has grown as a post player, When he's on, he attracts defense-contracting double teams. However, his passing metrics are among the worst in the game.
The middle third
11. Greg Monroe, Milwaukee Bucks
12. Brook Lopez, Brooklyn Nets
13. Pau Gasol, Chicago Bulls
14. Tyson Chandler, Phoenix Suns
15. Al Jefferson, Charlotte Hornets
16. Marcin Gortat, Washington Wizards
17. Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic
18. Robin Lopez, New York Knicks
19. Timofey Mozgov, Cleveland Cavaliers
20. Zaza Pachulia, Dallas Mavericks
Center is a weird position, and perhaps that's because so many quality big men have had significant injury problems. The defensive role of the center in today's game is as important as ever. If you have a rim protector who teams can't scheme off the floor, it's a huge advantage. You can see that some of the guys in this section have offensive games that merit top 10 rankings. However, if you give defense at this position its due, this is where they land.
The bottom third
21. Steven Adams, Oklahoma City Thunder
22. Jusuf Nurkic, Denver Nuggets
23. Jared Sullinger, Boston Celtics
24. Mason Plumlee, Portland Trail Blazers
25. Andrew Bogut, Golden State Warriors
26. Roy Hibbert, Los Angeles Lakers
27. Ian Mahinmi, Indiana Pacers
28. Jahlil Okafor, Philadelphia 76ers
29. Willie Cauley-Stein, Sacramento Kings
30. Omer Asik, New Orleans Pelicans
Most of these players are limited by role or play as specialists. Only Okafor runs a true full rotation role. His post game is already one of the league's best, and you can see that in how often teams come at him with a hard double. But he's not rebounding, his defense is poor and the team around him is in shambles. It's hard to say how well Okafor will round out his floor game in coming seasons. But the Sixers have found themselves a rare commodity in someone so young and already so skilled on the low block.