For the sixth season in a row, ESPN.com is ranking the top players in the NBA. Who will be the best player this season?

To get the final ranking, we asked our expert panel to vote on pairs of players.

LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry. Russell Westbrook vs. Kevin Durant. Damian Lillard vs. Chris Paul.

We asked, "Which player will be better in 2016-17?" To decide, voters had to consider both the quality and the quantity of each player's contributions to his team's ability to win games.

If you want to get involved in the discussion or just follow along, #NBArank is the Twitter hashtag to use. You also can follow along @ESPNNBA and on Facebook.

On to the list ...

5. Russell Westbrook

Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images

Thunder | PG | @russwest44

Last year's rank: 7

2016-17 projected RPM: 7.21

Insider profile: With Kevin Durant leaving for the Golden State Warriors, the Thunder are Westbrook's team -- particularly after he agreed to renegotiate and extend his contract, keeping him under team control through the summer of 2018. Look out. Read more »

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