2016-17 NBA player rankings: 30-21

Who were the top 30 players of the 2016-17 season, and how does the end-of-season list compare to preseason expectations? theScore's seven NBA editors cumulatively ranked the league's stars based solely on their 2016-17 performances, and came up with the following:

Honorable mentions: Kemba Walker, Goran Dragic, Kevin Love, C.J. McCollum

30. Mike Conley (Preseason: Honorable mention)

Conley had 153 million reasons to take his foot off the gas this season, but instead put up his strongest numbers to date in all major statistical categories. Only Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, and Kyle Lowry had better real plus-minus ratings at point guard, yet we rarely hear Conley's name mentioned in the same breath as those players. - Chris Walder

29. Klay Thompson (Preseason: 20)

Thompson wasn't kidding when he said he wasn't "sacrificing s---" for Kevin Durant. The All-Star shooting guard's numbers are eerily similar to last season's, and in fact, his shot attempts and scoring were slightly up. The Warriors' most accurate 3-point shooter this season, Thompson once again trailed only his Splash Brother in made 3-pointers, with his most impressive display of lethal sharpshooting coming in a 60-point explosion. - Victoria Nguyen

28. Paul Millsap (Preseason: 16)

Few Eastern Conference players were more pertinent to their team's success this season than Millsap. Atlanta went 3-9 without its All-Star power forward, while posting an offensive rating of just 98.6 with the 32-year-old on the bench - a figure that would rank dead last in the NBA if extrapolated over a full season. - Patrick Britton

27. Nikola Jokic (Preseason: Unranked)

In averaging 16 points, nine rebounds, and four assists in his age-22 season, Jokic did something no center that young had achieved in 40 years, while also becoming the first five-man since the NBA-ABA merger - and the first international player ever - to record six triple-doubles in a season. Oh, and he'll make less than $3 million total over the next two seasons. - Joseph Casciaro

26. DeAndre Jordan (Preseason: 24)

Paul and Blake Griffin dominate headlines when it comes to the Clippers' success, but it's the quiet work of Jordan that has paced the team this year. The sheer gravity of his rim runs provides the backbone of the Clippers' halfcourt offense. Meanwhile, his defensive awareness continues to improve year after year. - William Lou

25. Damian Lillard (Preseason: 19)

A slow start led everyone to (once again) sleep on an impeccable season from Lillard. The two-time All-Star delivered when his team needed it most: he's averaged 29.4 points per game since February, and his Blazers have won 16 of their last 21 games to clinch the eighth seed. - William Lou

24. Blake Griffin (Preseason: 12)

Griffin's place among the biggest names and most dynamic bigs in the game remains secure, but staying on the court has become a perennial concern, as the 28-year-old failed to crack the 70-game mark for a third consecutive season and missed his second straight All-Star Game after appearing in the mid-February showcase in each of his first five years. - Joseph Casciaro

23. Hassan Whiteside (Preseason: Honorable mention)

Miami's miraculous run to give them a shot at the eighth seed following a hideous 11-30 start has the basketball world doing a 180 on Whiteside. He's always had the physical intangibles to be a star, but now he's enhancing those gifts by being wiser on the floor and conducting himself professionally off of it. - Chris Walder

22. Gordon Hayward (Preseason: 27)

Hayward has quickly established himself as one of the elite offensive players in the Western Conference, ranking above Griffin in scoring, finishing with a higher true shooting percentage than Thompson, and posting the same win share total as Lillard. - Patrick Britton

21. Kyrie Irving (Preseason: 22)

With LeBron James taking on increased playmaking responsibilities, Irving's M.O. was to get buckets. And he did, putting forth his highest and most efficient scoring numbers to date. The Cavaliers' usage leader continued his rise as one of the most dominant offensive players in the game (with the best handles to boot). - Victoria Nguyen

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)