| RANK | Player | RUNDOWN | RECENT |
| 1 |  |
MARKIEFF MORRIS, F, PHOENIX: The Suns aren’t going away. After looking out of it last week, they’ve pieced together five straight wins and have supplanted the Mavericks for the eighth spot out West. Morris is averaging 16.7 points and 6.2 rebounds since the All-Star break. | 1 |
| 2 |  |
TAJ GIBSON, F, CHICAGO: Had a bad game vs. Pacers last Friday (seven points, five rebounds) and Bulls lost by 12. Redeemed himself with a good game vs. Pacers on Monday (23 points, eight rebounds) and Bulls won by 12. If Gibson plays his best, Bulls could be a legitimate dark horse in the East. | 2 |
| 3 |  |
REGGIE JACKSON, G, OKLAHOMA CITY: Jackson had his best game in months after Russell Westbrook’s injury scare in Toronto, going for 25 with a season-high 12 rebounds. He averaged 17-7-7 over three games last week. Not bad at all. | 4 |
| 4 |  |
MANU GINOBILI, G, SAN ANTONIO: San Antonio has won 15 in a row – the NBA’s longest streak this season and the team’s best in the Popovich Era – and have lost only once since Ginobili returned after the All-Star break. His 20.8 PER still ranks him among the league’s best players. | 3 |
| 5 |  |
JAMAL CRAWFORD, G, LA CLIPPERS: Crawford went for 31 off the bench against the Pelicans last week. He’s still the most exciting scorer on this list and would get a lot more consideration for the award if he didn’t have to spot start as many games as he does. |
5 |
DROPOUTS: None.
FIVE TO WATCH: Alec Burks, G, Utah; Vince Carter, G-F, Dallas; J.R. Smith, G, New York; D.J. Augustin, G, Chicago; Nick Young, G, LA Lakers.
OTHER RANKINGS: Rookie | Most Improved | MVP | Power
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.
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i agree exactly with the rankings. Yeah, morris has been a revelation. But Tyreke…this is why analytics have limitations. And this is a perfect example. The Pellies are NOT better with Tyreke doing anything, except leaving town. He doesnt add versitiltiy and i cant imagine what you mean. Tyreke’s problem is that he does ONE thing. SCore in isolation. He slows down an offense. he makes other worse not better. This is what drove previous coaches nuts. He cant do else than he does…..he scores, he creates, and its a talent….but he’s not good enough at it to justify his other limitations. Harden barely justifies the fact he wont play defense. Greg Monroe…..one skill……will he get a max contract? i doubt it. Tyreke’s contract was a disaster for new orleans.