Sixth Man Rankings: Series of Statement Games Start Tonight

RANK	Player	RUNDOWN	RECENT
1		REGGIE JACKSON, G, OKLAHOMA CITY: With Russell Westbrook’s return to the starting lineup, Jackson returns to his rightful place atop the Sixth Man Rankings. He’s started 30 of his team’s 56 games, which means he’ll become eligible for the award by early March as long Westbrook stays healthy.	–
2		MANU GINOBILI, G, SAN ANTONIO: Ginobili came back from injury earlier than expected and proceeded to help the Spurs win two statement games over the Clippers and Blazers. Ginobili answered all questions about his health going for 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in under 20 minutes of action against Portland.	–
3		MARKIEFF MORRIS, F, PHOENIX: Came out of All-Star Weekend with a double-double in a win over Denver and then went for 18 points in a win over Boston. His demotion in the rankings is not a reflection of regressed play as much as it’s a reflection on Jackson and Ginobili’s re-emergences.	1
4		ALEC BURKS, G, UTAH: Continued his hot scoring with a 23-point surge against Brooklyn on Wednesday. He’s gone for 20+ points in five of his team’s last eight games. Utah, once the worst team in the league, now stands ahead of six other teams.	2
5		TAJ GIBSON, F, CHICAGO: Chicago, post-Deng, is perhaps the hottest team in the Eastern Conference and Gibson’s play is a main reason why. Chicago’s won four straight, including a statement win over Toronto on Wednesday that pushed them within a half-game of the three seed in the East.	4

DROPOUTS: Jeremy Lin (3); Nick Young (5)

FIVE TO WATCH: Jeremy Lin, G, Houston; James Johnson, F, Memphis; Jordan Crawford, G, Golden State; Rodney Stuckey, G, Detroit; Mike Scott, F, Atlanta.

OTHER RANKINGS: Rookie | Most Improved | MVP | Power Rankings

Jacob Eisenberg is a student at Emory University, spending the spring semester abroad in Brazil, and covers the NBA for SheridanHoops.com. Check out his website and click here to follow him on Twitter.