With the NBA going through more than one-eighth of its season, it is once again time to look for those surprise performers. Guys of whom we had barely any knowledge prior to their breakout performances.

These are players who were most likely not draft in your fantasy league, guys who you might have known to be in the league, but who you’ve most probably written off as bench warmers. But having seen them play, I can clearly state that these guys are here to stay.

Are they surefire future all stars? Probably not, but they are players who will make a difference this season or one of the upcoming seasons very soon:

Chris Douglas-Roberts (New Jersey Nets): CDR was making headlines, but for all the wrong reasons, as he was out with the swine flu earlier this month. If you think that this is the only reason why we should talk about him, you could not be more wrong.

Yes, he averaged only five points/game last year, but look at his stats now. CDR is in the top 40 in scoring (18 ppg) and top 100 in rebounds (5.5 rpg). All this whilst also being his team’s best defender.

His numbers are, of course, inflated by the dreadfulness of the Nets. No way should CDR be the top scorer of an NBA team, but he could be a great defensive specialist, who can also provide double-digit scoring.

Dahntay Jones (Indiana Pacers): I wanted to punish Jones for having bolted Denver. The Nuggets clearly could have used his defensive expertise, but it seems to me I have been short sighted. Following the first eleven games of the season I have been persuaded to believe that Jones felt he could be of more use to a team that needs him to score as well.

Denver surely did not need another guy hoisting it up as they have a roster full of scorers. The Pacers needed a starting shooting guard who could play lockdown D and could also put points on the board. Jones has delivered.

He is scoring over 17 points per, and is the shutdown perimeter guy of a Pacers team that is hovering around a 0.500 record despite having some serious injury problems.

Louis Williams (Philadelphia 76ers): Williams has been upping his game each season. He came into the league as a raw talent, and has become a scoring weapon off the bench. This season however, he is finally realizing his true potential.

Williams at his best is an energetic point guard who can run an offense whilst looking for his own shot at times. He was eased into this role whilst Andre Miller was around in Philly, and this season he has exploded onto the stage.

A top 50 scorer and top 25 assist man is not a bad thing to have on your team. Imagine having them together. I bet the 76ers are happy to have this guy on the roster.

Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies): He has gone from Pau’s little brother to being one of the toughest inside men in the league. He was a force last season, but after adding some muscle and experience he has really burst onto the scene.

Let me assure you, the Grizzlies are not losing because of him. A top 70 scorer and top five rebounder is the type of middle man you can build around. Best of all, Marc is only 24, so he should get better and better.

The only thing the Grizzlies must do, is make sure they do not trade him away like they did with another Gasol.

Carl Landry, Aaron Brooks, Luis Scola (Houston Rockets): These guys announced their arrivals last season in the playoffs when they took the Lakers to a seventh game in their series despite having lost Yao Ming. The reason why they are on this list: Houston has been about Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, Ron Artest last year. The only other being mentioned often was Shane Battier.

Yet Brooks, Landry and Scola are the main reasons (along with Trevor Ariza) why the Rockets are still looking like a playoff team despite missing their so called top two players.  

Will Bynum (Detroit Pistons):An after-thought signed just to make the roster work, Bynum should not have amounted to much this season. Stuck behind the trio of Rodney Stuckey, Richard Hamilton and Ben Gordon made it seem even more improbable that Will would perform the way he has.

In effect he is the only reliable true point guard of the Pistons, and this has worked to his advantage. Will has truly fought for every minute of playing time he has received, and to see him score 14 points and dish out four assists per game underlines just how talented this kid is.

Ersan Ilyasova (Milwaukee Bucks): This second-year player is on this list for one trait. All-out hustle. Ersan is that glue guy that really good teams need to have. He is the type of guy who would die for his team on the court.

Rookie Brandon Jennings is surely the top reason why the Bucks are winning their games, but Ersan’s hustle and production make that job easier. In limited minutes Ilyasova is rebounding at a frantic rate (7.1 per game), whilst he is scoring in double figures.

Milwaukee might be reaping the benefits of having Jennings fall into their lap in the last draft, but they can also point to the draft preceding that one, when they chose to add Ilyasova to their roster.

Marreese Speights (Philadelphia 76ers): Elton Brand? Who is that? Certainly Philly was not expecting to see such questions at this point in the season, yet this has been the case once Speights gets onto the court. The politics of the NBA might not allow him to play more minutes right now (Brand is making mucho money, and no team will give up on a high investment before they know it is completely busted).

Fact is, Marreese is one of the top 15 players in the NBA according to ESPN’s PER ratings. Since this has been accepted as a relatively accurate ranking, this screams for Marreese to get more minutes. We might have an All-Star here.

Marcus Thornton (New Orleans Hornets): Speaking of PER here is the player currently sitting pretty at number 19. Who is this guy? Thornton is a rookie who was selected with the 43rd pick in the draft. By New Orleans? Nope… Actually Miami selected him and sent him to New Orleans for two future second round picks.

Thornton is one of the few bright spots of a dreadful season for New Orleans. He is currently scoring 13 points per game in less than 20 minutes per.

I am still reluctant as to what the future holds for this young man, he certainly has the talent, but since we are still early in the season he might have simply had a lucky streak. With Thornton, you still have to take a wait-and-see approach.

Ryan Anderson (Orlando Magic): This summer many thought Ryan was just a throw-in within the trade that got Vince Carter to Orlando, to make salaries match. These people could not be more wrong. Orlando insisted on getting Anderson along with Carter since they wanted to get a guy back with upside in a trade where the Magic gave up a lot of youth and talent for an established scorer.

Well, Anderson has been lighting it up, and he has been one of the impact players on a team that is once again looking to be a title contender. In just over 20 minutes he is providing versatility and scoring for a team that was, and is, in need of both.

Considering his stats Ryan has become quite a scorer (12,7 ppg). Expect him to be a key contributor in Orlando’s attempt to get back to the finals.

Have I missed anyone on this list, or is someone there undeservedly? You be the judge.