1. Marc Gasol, Grizzlies
Although he was limited to three straight sub-double-digit scoring games recently, Gasol has been a rock for Memphis all season long. He is averaging almost 15 points and 10 rebounds a game. Bigs who require double-teams on offense but don't normally need help defending the post are a coach's dream. Gasol fits that bill.

The Grizzlies will need him to produce if they want to remain in playoff contention -- he averages 16 points per game in wins and 13 in losses. That's a big swing.

2. Brook Lopez, Nets
Lopez's success last season was no fluke. He's very good. That he's playing for the worst team in the league shouldn't change our opinion of him. Although he's not shooting well from midrange, he's killing people down low and blocking two shots a game.

As the Nets' franchise center, he needs to be the guy who leads the team back to respectability. A tough self-critic, Lopez is sometimes too focused on his own play and not focused enough on his whole team.

3. Kevin Love, Timberwolves
The best rebounding forward in basketball, Love is already a master of positioning. And a few more seasons of leaning out and getting more athletic will serve him well. If someone were to ask me who will have the most rebounds this decade, I'd probably say Love or Dwight Howard.

In addition, Love is a solid paint scorer who is starting to get to the free throw line with more frequency -- this is an important part of his overall development. He has earned a double-double in all but five games this season.

4. Danilo Gallinari, Knicks
Gallo still looks like the best shooter in this class despite his 0-for-7 outing in Oklahoma City on Monday. And like great shooters do, he has been able to bounce back from poor showings with strong performances. Check out what he did after three games in which he missed all of his 3-pointers:

On Nov. 21, he made 3 of 8 shots from deep. On Nov. 29, he made 4 of 5. And on Dec. 17, he roasted the Bulls with 6 3s in 15 attempts.

5. Michael Beasley, Heat
Beasley may have some consistency issues off the court, in terms of focus and work ethic, but not on the court. Look at his monthly totals: In November, he averaged 14.2 ppg and 6.6 rpg; in December, he averaged 17.3 ppg and 6.6 rpg; and through seven games in January, he is averaging 17.3 ppg and 6.7 rpg. Those are solid numbers for a No. 2 guy on a playoff team.

One of the best young bucket-getters in basketball, he's shooting well from the field, too. If he cuts down his 3-point attempts (16-of-59), he'd be even more effective.

6. Roy Hibbert, Pacers
Hibbert is becoming an important piece on the Pacers, albeit a situational one at times. He's had some terrific games against teams with legitimate big men inside, like his 26 and 8 game against Orlando and his 21 and 7 against Minnesota. But against smaller teams, like Toronto, he barely plays.

Overall, he's been just as productive as last season. And since he's getting nine more minutes a game than he did in his rookie season, his stats are better. But as the Pacers look to the future, it's still not clear if he's more than just an effective role player.

7. Jason Thompson, Kings
Thompson looked like a lock for this year's rook-soph game. However, he is really struggling now, averaging only 8.5 ppg and 7.3 rpg in January. What's worse is that his foul problems have increased -- he's averaging four a game in just 28 minutes.

The Kings thought they had their power forward of the future. But Thompson must fight for his spot going forward; Sacramento likely will be able to land a starting 4 through free agency or the draft if it so chooses.

8. Ersan Ilyasova, Bucks
Ilyasova appears to have hit a wall, averaging just 6 ppg in the new year after scoring 11.9 ppg in each of the season's two previous months. In fact, going back to Dec. 21, he made just one field goal in five different games.

Part of his problem is shot selection -- almost half of his shot attempts have been 3s lately; in November and December, 3s accounted for only 35 percent of his overall shots. He's at his best when he's moving and finding shots inside the perimeter, as he's an excellent finisher.

9. Ryan Anderson, Magic
Struggling since Rashard Lewis returned to the lineup, Anderson averaged only 6.8 ppg on 33.3 percent shooting from 3 in December. So he was benched for two games last week.

The Magic promptly lost at home to Toronto, then again at Washington, so Van Gundy put Anderson back into the lineup. He responded by scoring 26 points in the next two games combined, making 4 of his 8 3-point attempts. And the Magic won both games. That is how you earn back rotation minutes.

10. Anthony Randolph, Warriors
Before going down with an ankle injury, if any player deserved more playing time, it was Randolph. Consider that his minutes had gone down to 19 per game this month and that he still averaged almost 12 ppg -- the same as he did with more playing time in November and December. His rebounds per game had been almost exactly the same from month to month as well.

Many young players let the roller coaster of playing time negatively impact their performance, but Randolph has avoided that with smarter shot selection despite the reduction in minutes. He may have some maturity issues behind the scenes, but any GM would be proud of a young player who has remained committed to getting better in an environment as strange as Golden State's.