The NBArank 2021 countdown is nearly in the books, as we've already unveiled our lists of players Nos. 100-51, Nos. 50-26 and Nos. 25-6.
On Friday, we'll reveal where our final five superstars check in. But who should hold the No. 1 spot for the 2021-22 season?
The Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo has won two Most Valuable Player awards and an NBA Finals MVP over his past three seasons, but the Brooklyn Nets' Kevin Durant might be the most dangerous offensive weapon in basketball, now two seasons removed from the Achilles injury that cost him his entire 2019-20 season.
The Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry can change the momentum of a game with one 30-foot heave, but the Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic possesses a combination of size, shooting and savvy that's uncanny for a 22-year-old.
And the Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James? Well, he's LeBron James.
Only one of these generational stars can reign supreme for 2021-22. Each has a unique case for No. 1, and our NBA Insiders are diving into why all five should be there.
More NBArank: 
Breakout picks | A decade of lessons
The case for Giannis Antetokounmpo
At 26 years old, Antetokounmpo is just the third player in league history to earn an MVP, a Defensive Player of the Year award and a Finals MVP, joining Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon. But while those bullet points are impressive, the case for Antetokounmpo rests at the exact same place where NBA games have been won and lost for generations: in the paint.
Simply put, Antetokounmpo is the most dominant interior force in the world right now, and as the Suns learned the hard way this summer, his penchant for making huge plays at the rim affects outcomes on both ends of the floor. During the Finals, Antetokounmpo racked up 134 points in the paint -- no other player in the series had more than 60.
As a defender, his versatility is unmatched. One second he's an elite perimeter defender capable of staying in front of anyone, the next he morphs into one of the finest rim protectors in the league. According to Second Spectrum, out of 77 NBA players that have been the closest defender to at least 500 shot attempts in the restricted era over the past three seasons, Antetokounmpo ranks first in FG% allowed; opponents have made just 49.1% of their shots at the rim when he's been close by. That's as elite as it gets.
He recorded more defensive rebounds per game than anyone else in the 2021 playoffs. As Antetokounmpo has entered his prime, the Bucks have become a defensive juggernaut. During their title run, the Bucks led all playoff teams in defensive efficiency despite playing against offenses fueled by Kevin Durant, Trae Young and Chris Paul.
Then there's Giannis' offense, where Antetokounmpo combines scoring volume and efficiency as well as anyone in the league. During the postseason, he averaged over 30 points per game while converting over 56 percent of his shots. Over the past five seasons, no player has more points in the paint.
If there's a weakness in the bag, it's obviously his jump shot, but when you dominate the paint like prime Shaquille O'Neal, who needs jumpers?
Shots at the basket remain the most effective scoring options in the game, and as a scorer Antetokounmpo is the best at those right now. As a defender, he's among the most effective at preventing the rim. Basketball isn't rocket science: When a player can claim to be the most dominant interior performer in the league and its most impactful 2-way superstar, he's probably just the best player in the league, too.
-- Kirk Goldsberry
The case for Stephen Curry
Put simply, Steph is the most impactful offensive weapon in the NBA.
That sums up why Curry is worth every cent of the four-year, $215 million contract extension he signed this summer, why the two-time MVP finished third in last season's award vote despite the undermanned Warriors finishing the regular season eighth in the Western Conference and why the Golden State point guard has a case for topping ESPN's annual NBArank countdown.
There has never been a shooter who stretches defenses to the ridiculous degrees that Curry does. It's not just that Curry has staked his claim as the best 3-point shooter in the history of the game due to his sweet stroke and seemingly limitless range. He's arguably the best there has ever been at generating long-range looks, whether it's off the dribble or after running through a maze of screens.
Every opponent's defensive game plan starts with preventing Curry from getting clean looks as soon as he crosses halfcourt -- especially last season, when Golden State didn't have Klay Thompson around to punish teams for throwing the kitchen sink at his Splash Brother. Yet Curry still managed to launch 12.7 3-point attempts per game, making 42.1% of them despite the frequently high degree of difficulty, while leading the league in scoring at 32.0 points per game.
Curry's presence and production made the difference between the Golden State offense being good or absolutely awful. The Warriors averaged 114.2 points per 100 possession with Curry on the court last season, which would have ranked 10th in the league, and a would-be-dead-last 101.8 without him.
A select few others -- players who have earned both MVPs and Finals MVPs -- might have stronger cases than Curry for the No. 1 spot. But nobody can really challenge Curry when it comes to the fun-to-watch factor.
How many times does a Curry swish make you shake your head and laugh? Sometimes it's because Curry, who connected 45.6% of his attempts from 30-plus feet last season, made launching from extremely long range look so easy. Sometimes it's because Curry executed a mixtape worth of moves to get just enough space to take a contested 3. Occasionally, it's both.
There's no better show in basketball.
-- Tim MacMahon
The case for Luka Doncic
Given everything he's accomplished by the age of 22, including winning Rookie of the Year and garnering back-to-back selections on the All-NBA First Team, it's all but inevitable that Luka will emerge as the league's best player at some point. The question is when.
There was significant belief it would happen last season. Going into 2020-21, his third NBA campaign, Doncic was the favorite to win MVP according to our ESPN forecast panel with nearly half the available votes.
That turned out to be premature, at least as much because the Mavericks weren't ready for their closeup. Dallas finished tied for fifth in the West at 42-30, not good enough for Luka to legitimately contend for MVP. And while Doncic was heroic in the Mavericks' first-round series against the LA Clippers, the heavy load he carried on offense caught up to him, as the Clippers came back to win the series in seven games.
Doncic's path to the top spot in the rankings starts with a stronger supporting cast. Although Dallas was unable to find a second creator, the Mavericks did upgrade their shooting by replacing Josh Richardson with newcomers Reggie Bullock and Sterling Brown. Dallas' biggest improvement could come from a healthy Kristaps Porzingis, who was limited last season following knee surgery.
To that, let's add a dose of improvement for Doncic, particularly as a 3-point shooter. He already took a key step forward last season, going from 32% beyond the arc his first two years to 35%. Given the difficulty of Luka's 3-point attempts -- his 3s had the lowest shot quality of any player with at least 50 attempts last season, per Second Spectrum analysis -- hitting near league average was actually quite impressive. Still, getting to the level of James Harden (36% last season on the third most difficult set of attempts) would make Doncic even more difficult to defend.
Let's cap that with an extended playoff run for the Mavericks. A wide-open West gives Dallas an opportunity to claim home-court advantage, setting up Luka to advance past the first round for the first time in his career. If Doncic can play as well as he has in two early exits against the Clippers over multiple series, the mantle of NBA's best player in 2021-22 could be his.
-- Kevin Pelton
The case for Kevin Durant
Durant is the best pure scoring mismatch in the NBA, and it's not particularly close.
He has the ballhandling ability and shot of a shooting guard combined with the wingspan and height of a center, which allows him to get off his shot at will against any defender, at all three levels. According to Second Spectrum, Durant has produced 1.162 points per chance to lead all 270 NBA players with at least 200 drives over the last two seasons.
Simultaneously, his 1.177 points per chance produced in isolations ranks second in the NBA during that span among the 104 players to use at least 100 such possessions, narrowly trailing only Stephen Curry's 1.181 points per chance. And Durant's 1.141 points per chance as the cutter for off-ball screens also ranks second in the NBA during that span, among the 302 players to utilize at least 200 screens.
Durant averaged 26.9 PPG on 53.7 FG%, 45.0 3P% and 88.2 FT% last season, a combo of volume and scoring efficiency from everywhere on the court that is unique in the league.
Put it together, and whether on-ball or off, as a driver or a shooter, Durant is the most dangerous scoring machine in the NBA.
But, Durant's case goes beyond buckets. Durant is one of the better playmaking forwards in the NBA, averaging 5.6 APG with a 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio while playing quite a bit of power forward. He's a strong help defender, using his wingspan to make himself a menace as a shot-blocker and in the passing lanes. He averaged 1.3 BPG and 0.7 SPG last season, in his first since returning from Achilles injury. With another season to get healthier, he has the upside to approach his previous career-bests of 1.8 BPG and 1.4 SPG.
Numbers aside, what sets Durant apart right now is his confidence. When he's on the court, you can see in everything from his eyes to his body language, that he believes himself to be the best. He's ready to take and make the biggest shots on the biggest stages under the most pressure, as he showed last season when he came one toenail away from willing his injured team past the eventual champion Bucks in Game 7. He's championship tested, and he knows that he's chasing history.
Durant is competing for not just the top spot in today's NBA, but to have his name spoken in the same breath as the best to have ever done it.
-- André Snellings
The case for LeBron James
The last 10 times LeBron hasn't dealt with a debilitating midseason injury, he's led his team to the NBA Finals.
This is a statement that's a classic argument-starter in the modern era, especially for a player people love to argue about when it comes to how to judge certain seasons. Wherever you might fall on the James spectrum, here are some facts:
In 2018-19, the Lakers were third in the Western Conference when James suffered a groin injury on Christmas, derailing his season and the Lakers' chances. Though he returned, he never was the same. He later shut himself down as the Lakers tanked for draft position.
In 2019-20, James missed four total games and the Lakers won the title (yes, they also traded for Anthony Davis). He led the league in assists in the regular season, and in the Finals he averaged 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists while shooting 59% to win his fourth title and fourth Finals MVP.
In 2020-21, the Lakers were second in the West and on a four-game win streak, just getting their rhythm playing without an injured Davis. James was mounting an MVP case, when a high ankle sprain set them into a tailspin. At the time of the injury, James was averaging 26 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and was shooting 51%. Worried about missing the playoffs, he came back too early and had to shut it back down again before limping into the play-in game. He still might've led a playoff run until Davis was injured again with the Lakers ahead 2-1 in their first round series against the Suns.
All of this is to say, even as he approaches his 37th birthday, to dismiss James as a top candidate for the league's No.1-ranked player is to not recognize that his era of dominance never really ended.
Certainly, a case can be made that ESPN's NBArank is not about what a player was but what a player will be in the short-term future. The same Laker fans who were irate at Kobe Bryant dropping in rankings as injuries and age took their toll on his career would attack the notion of James slipping.
Being honest, Father Time has gnawed on James' cape. There are nights when he struggles to get by defenders, and his reaction time is not what it was when his beard was black. Injuries like the ones James has suffered must be expected at his age, but last year's injury was a freak play, not a result of wear and tear.
Even acknowledging these realities, discounting James' current powers is a mistake. Especially now that he's had nearly five months off after having just 71 days last offseason.
He helped reconstruct the Lakers roster, which, frankly, will probably only invigorate him further. James is going to want to prove this will work. That's a mindset Lakers fans want him in.
-- Brian Windhorst