The first batch of voting returns for the 2018 All-Star Game were made public last week and a really interesting development took place. The top vote-getter wasn't the usual suspects like Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant or LeBron James. It was Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo surprisingly topping the ballot. 

This shouldn't be shocking or anything to see a young talent like Antetokounmpo take the top spot, but it's always interesting to see new faces beginning to establish themselves in the league. It's a sign of change on the horizon. Will LeBron, Curry, and Durant always be near the top of fan voting? Of course. Just as long as they remain as great as they usually are, but the new wave of stars are starting to emerge behind them. Kyle Kuzma, Kristaps Porzingis, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker, Lonzo Ball, Victor Oladipo all have a chance at running this league some day.

It's exciting to witness these young stars try to establish themselves against the behemoths of the NBA. Of course, there's a reason these stars are behemoths. Those are the players on teams that sit atop our weekly Power Rankings. 

Biggest Movers
5 Wizards
6 Bulls
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1 Warriors The Warriors just can't seem to stay fully healthy this season with Kevin Durant missing a chunk of time due to a calf injury. Of course, nothing stops the Golden State train from chugging along, with Stephen Curry pouring in points like a mad man. Got to make up for missed time. 1 41-29
2 Celtics Brad Stevens' defense is suffocating teams right now. During the Celtics' six-game win streak, they have held five of their opponents under 100 points, including the high-powered, albeit injured Rockets and Cavaliers. The Celtics are back on track. 1 50-19
3 Raptors They say if you look directly at DeMar DeRozan while shooting it can make you go blind. His game is so hot right now that it should be able to warm the entire city of Toronto for the duration of winter. He has a good chance at being an All-Star Game starter. 1 24-46
4 Wizards Is this it? Are the Wizards finally going to play consistent basketball and look like the playoff contender everybody expected them to be? Well, if John Wall and Bradley Beal keep playing like this they won't have any issues with that. 5 15-53
5 Cavaliers Isaiah Thomas is back and, while the fit isn't perfect yet, he's shown no issues scoring with his new team. The Cavs have him on a minutes restriction right now though he made his first start recently. Don't expect him to leave the starting five outside of rest or injury. 1 56-13
6 Spurs Kawhi Leonard has a partial tear in his shoulder. It's supposed to be nothing serious and the Spurs hope to have him back soon, but it's just disappointing to see such a great player unable to stay healthy. For now, the LaMarcus Aldridge show continues. 5 29-39
7 Timberwolves Is Minnesota's defense improving, along with Karl-Anthony Towns, or is this just a blip in the season? The Wolves have held their last six opponents under 100 points, which is a great sign for Tom Thibodeau's club. 2 40-31
8 Rockets Well, Chris Paul has been great, but it's clear that Houston needs James Harden to be at their best. However, Clint Capela continues to have a marvelous individual season. This guy needs to get some more attention. 1 45-25
9 Thunder The Thunder are 12-9 against teams under .500, which feels way too low for this kind of talent. On the other hand, they've only recently pulled their offense together. It's frustrating to see OKC take steps back, but these things really do take time. 1 57-12
10 Trail Blazers With Damian Lillard out, the Blazers have been looking to Shabazz Napier to carry the load in his place. Obviously, Napier doesn't pack the same scoring punch, but he has gone from someone that might be out of the NBA to one of the better backup point guards in a hurry. 4 31-39
11 Bucks Giannis made a play this week where he had to extend out on a pass to catch the ball like a football player. He proceeded to spin around in place and lay the ball in with relative ease before the defense could establish itself and contest the basket. It's amazing that he's in his fifth year and still finds ways to surprise on a nightly basis. -- 39-30
12 Nuggets Gary Harris had 36 points against the Suns this week and Trey Lyles had 26 against the Jazz -- both career highs. It's a great example of how the Nuggets' success is coming on the backs of their young guys all having terrific seasons. -- 44-26
13 Heat Miami has won five of its last six and are fifth in the Eastern conference. They might be setting themselves up for another second half season surge. If that's the case, it's going to leave Hassan Whiteside in an awkward position. His role has been reduced, partially from injury, and the Heat look better because of it. 4 29-40
14 76ers Fear not Sixer fans, Joel Embiid is back and Philadelphia is already making up for lost time. The 76ers have won five of their last six since Christmas and are back in the playoff hunt as a result. They have a chance to make some noise with a tough schedule coming up against a handful of potential Eastern Conference playoff teams. 5 23-46
15 Pistons Weird last four games for Detroit. Wins over contenders like the Spurs and Rockets. Losses to potentials playoff teams like the Heat and 76ers. It was impressive to see Stan Van Gundy's team bounce back from a beatdown to the 76ers to handle an injury-plagued Rockets team. Some teams tend to fold on the second half of that back-to-back. Not Detroit. 5 39-31
16 Pelicans Just when it seemed like the Pelicans were turning a corner, they wind up dropping three of their last four games, with their lone win coming against the Jazz. New Orleans is settling into a .500 team. And while that's fine, it feels like it's underachieving considering Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins is on the roster. -- 19-51
17 Pacers Indiana snapped its five-game losing streak in a monstrous destruction of the Bulls. It's no coincidence that Victor Oladipo made his return from a right knee injury that game. This feels like a true jump to stardom for the former No. 2 overall pick. 4 40-29
18 Clippers This is getting depressing. The Clippers were healthy again then Milos Teodosic started missing time from the same foot injury that kept him out earlier in the season. Blake Griffin is out with a concussion. The Clippers have proven that they're a capable team when healthy. They just haven't gotten much time to show it. -- 39-30
19 Hornets Charlotte went 3-1 on its California road trip, which can be difficult for many Eastern Conference teams. If the Hornets have any chance at saving this season it will have to begin in January when they play a ton of struggling teams and playoff hopefuls. Win those games and you're in the playoff race. Lose them, and well, they might end up having a busy trade deadline. 3 18-51
20 Knicks New York has lost eight of its last 10 and Kristaps Porzingis commented on being tired following a stretch of back-to-back games. With Tim Hardaway Jr. out injured, the Knicks have lost a lot of their ability to create on offense in areas besides Porzingis, so it makes sense he'd start feeling the effects around this time of the season. 1 43-26
21 Bulls Well, the Bulls are still fun to watch, but they're back to their losing ways. The Bulls will be able to trade Nikola Mirotic as early as Jan. 15. He's been playing the best basketball of his career so it will be interesting to see what kind of value he brings in discussions. 6 30-40
22 Jazz The schedule has not been kind to Utah since its six-game winning streak in late-November and early-December. Since Dec. 4, the Jazz have played one team currently below .500 and that was the Bulls. The rest of January is going to let up on them a little. 2 16-54
23 Nets Jahlil Okafor is finally in game shape and playing for the Nets. He had 12 points on 12 shots in 13 minutes. He's basically a gunner center off the bench, and yes, that's as awesome as it sounds. -- 23-47
24 Suns The Suns had by far the silliest week in terms of game results. They beat the Thunder by 14 and had a close win over the Hawks. Their losses, however, were no-contest blowouts. Phoenix is an experiment of two extremes -- one good and one bad. 2 33-37
25 Mavericks Dallas followed its win streak with three losses in a row, but no loss was by greater than four points. The Mavericks are feisty and that makes them fun to watch. 5 33-37
26 Grizzlies Despite news of Mike Conley making progress on his recovery, there is still no timetable for his return. This is the smart move, because there's no reason to rush him back at this point of the season. 1 43-27
27 Kings Buddy Hield is a scorching-hot 45 percent from 3-point range this season. It's easy to forget that he went from buried in New Orleans to breaking out in Sacramento after a midseason trade last season. He's continued that solid play into his sophomore year. 1 35-34
28 Magic Aaron Gordon has been getting better and better as the season's gone on despite Orlando's continued downward spiral. He's up for a new contract this summer and the Magic are going to have a hard time not giving him whatever he asks for. 1 32-38
29 Lakers Los Angeles managed to finally snap its losing skid, but it came at the hands of the league's worst team -- the Hawks. Lonzo Ball is back from injury, which is a positive sign because he really does help them. 1 43-26
30 Hawks Atlanta got destroyed by the Lakers on Sunday night and went for a quick two when down three in the closing seconds of its loss to the Suns. If a team were to ever buy into a top-to-bottom tank job, it would look like this current club. 5 33-36