Yes, Shaquille O'Neal has to have a monster second half to save the Lakers. Yes, Wally Szczerbiak needs to step up his game in Minnesota—where Kevin Garnett has been a Lonely Ticket all season. But who else out there needs to prove himself to help his team's postseason chances? Here are five pivotal players to watch:

KWAME BROWN, Wizards F/C
Or maybe it's Christian Laettner. Perhaps an expanded role for Charles Oakley. Point is, the Wizards needs one or more of their big men to play big, especially to have an edge in the size-challenged East. The swing positions are covered with MJ, Stack and the emerging Larry Hughes, but it'll take some inside muscle to get Jordan to the playoffs in his final finale. In Doug Collins' dream scenario, the guy would be Kwame. But the kid's minutes (and confidence) continue to fluctuate as he struggles with trade rumors, NBA defenses and gaining the trust of the Washington veterans.

ZACH RANDOLPH, Blazers F
Seeing as how Rasheed Wallace is determined to a) get in trouble and b) stay outside to hoist threes, Randolph's development inside has been a welcome surprise. During four straight wins without Sheed, Randolph popped up to average 15 points and seven boards, doing something that is a Wallace rarity: demanding the ball inside. Since Dale Davis and Arvydas Sabonis don't offer much offense, look for Mo Cheeks to play Randolph as a sidekick to Wallace more often—if the bruising lefty can keep up the pace.

JAMAAL MAGLOIRE, Hornets C
New city, same predicament. Back in Charlotte, it was Jamal Mashburn whose health was a source of constant concern. This time, in New Orleans, it's Baron Davis who has the Hornets worried—if it's not his knee, it's his back. Last season, the Hornets were able to cover for Mash with Davis' dominance and Elden Campbell's low-post scoring. But Campbell has been slow to recover from his own knee woes. Which is where Magloire comes in. If he can play the way he did during a four-game stretch in January—16.5 ppg, 12 rpg—the Hornets won't fret quite so much.

EDDIE GRIFFIN, Rockets F
The Rockets are counting on a second-half surge from a tired Yao Ming, and no letup from Steve Francis. Yet even if all that happens, the Rockets still have a big void at power forward and ongoing hopes that Griffin will fill it. Griffin's shotblocking ability is an unquestioned plus, but his shooting and rebounding aren't there yet —only three double-doubles in his second season. To hold off the Lakers for No. 8 in the West, Houston needs more here, especially since Kenny Thomas was traded away to create an opportunity for Griffin.

J.R. BREMER, Celtics PG
The Vin Baker experiment didn't quite pan out. So the Celtics shifted their focus to the Bremer project. The undrafted rookie out of St. Bonaventure has been making sound decisions and getting into the lane better than anyone else Boston has in the backcourt. Even though Jim O'Brien is skeptical of youngsters, Bremer seized a chance via injury and forced his way into the rotation, amid daily reminders that A&P (Walker and Pierce) miss the steady hand of Kenny Anderson. While it's always dangerous to rely on a rookie, Bremer may prove the exception to the rule.

This article appears in the February 17 issue of ESPN The Magazine.