NBA Star Power Index: Bradley Beal jumps Stephen Curry in scoring race; Chris Paul playing MVP ball for Suns

Also, Michael Porter Jr. has been on a tear, and Trae Young has slowed his shooting role

Welcome back to the NBA Star Power Index -- a weekly gauge of the players who are most controlling the buzz around the league. Reminder: Inclusion on this list isn't necessarily a good thing. It simply means that you're capturing the NBA world's attention. Also, this is not a ranking. The players listed are in no particular order as it pertains to the buzz they're generating. This column will run every week through the end of the regular season.  New Orleans Hornets .220 .463 Los Angeles Clippers .390 .606 Houston Rockets .671 .793 Oklahoma City Thunder .598 .611 Phoenix Suns .466 .710 Bradley Beal has averaged 34.5 points over his last four games to jump back in front of Stephen Curry for the league scoring lead by the thinnest of margins. Beal is now averaging 31.3 PPG for the year to Curry's 31.2. More importantly, the Wizards are rolling, winners of 11 of their last 13 as they continue to occupy the Eastern Conference's No. 10 seed, which would land them a spot in the play-in tournament. Beal scored 27 on 11-of-18 shooting in a win over the Lakers Wednesday night.  In addition to Beal's scoring lead, Russell Westbrook is leading the league with 11.0 assists per game. It has been 39 years since a pair of teammates led the league in those two categories in the same season -- George Gervin (32.2 PPG) and Johnny Moore (9.0 APG) for the 1981-82 San Antonio Spurs.