2017-18 NBA player rankings: 30-21

Ahead of the 2017-18 season, theScore's basketball editors ranked the top 30 players in the NBA, with the cumulative rankings to be unveiled over the course of this week. As a reminder, these rankings are based solely on how we project players to perform in the coming season.

Honorable mentions: Isaiah Thomas (injury), Kristaps Porzingis, Paul Millsap, Devin Booker, C.J. McCollum, Al Horford, Joel Embiid, DeAndre Jordan

30. Bradley Beal

The 24-year-old shooting guard put up a career-high 23.1 points last season on a glistening true shooting percentage of 60.4 percent. The sharpshooter, who finished seventh in threes made, is on a mission to prove he and John Wall are the league's best backcourt duo and the Wizards are the East's top club. - Victoria Nguyen

29. Hassan Whiteside

The knock on Whiteside has always been that he's a stat hound, but he actually improved last year. He became a better defender despite averaging less blocks than the previous two seasons, and Erik Spoelstra finally trusted him in the fourth quarter. - John Chick

28. Kemba Walker

Walker has carried the offensive load for the Hornets over the past few years and is expected to ramp up those efforts with Nicolas Batum sidelined. Coming off his best season and first All-Star campaign, the talented scorer and playmaker will look to earn his first All-NBA nod while leading Charlotte back to the playoffs. - Nguyen

27. Kevin Love

Love's usage rate has quietly crept back up over the last couple years, and with Kyrie Irving now in Boston, Isaiah Thomas sidelined, and an aging, suspect supporting cast around LeBron James from a playmaking perspective, the Cavs would be wise to lean on Love - now a starting center - more than they ever have before. - Joseph Casciaro

26. DeMar DeRozan

Would DeRozan agree or disagree with this ranking? He's a polarizing player in this day and age, to be sure, but if you look at his game through the old grandfatherly advice "find one thing and be the best at it," DeRozan's your man. No one is a better midrange scorer in the NBA today. - Chick

25. Mike Conley

The devastatingly underrated point guard's coming off his 10th and most efficient season to date, having posted a career-high 20.5 points per game while leading the Grizzlies to their seventh straight playoff appearance. Though he'll probably never make an All-Star team in the loaded West, Conley's a special talent whose solid play earned him a fan in Kanye West. - Nguyen

24. Gordon Hayward

Hayward's going to be deferring more than he did in Utah now that he's teamed with Kyrie Irving, and that should work fine. He hit career highs last season in scoring, rebounding, and true shooting percentage, and is now reunited with his college coach Brad Stevens. - Chick

23. Marc Gasol

Known as one of the NBA's premier passing big men and defenders, the 32-year-old Spaniard extended his shooting range last season, resulting in his best offensive campaign yet. The 2013 DPOY registered a career-best 19.5 points and 4.6 dimes while continuing to anchor one of the league's best defenses. His production figures to improve further following Zach Randolph's departure. - Nguyen

22. Nikola Jokic

The best passing big man in the NBA? Some would say Nikola Jokic could be the best passer in the NBA. Period. The 22-year-old Serb is poised for a true breakout season with Paul Millsap now playing alongside him. Jokic averaged almost 17 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in only 28 minutes per game in 2016-17. - Chick

21. Kyle Lowry

A two-way guard who stuffs the stat sheet - both traditional and advanced - and perennially finds himself near the top of the league's plus-minus leaderboards, Lowry has also turned himself into one of the game's most fearsome 3-point threats. An unfortunate pattern of late-season injuries and postseason struggles are all that keep the Raptors point man from a surefire top-20 ranking. - Casciaro