NBA Playoffs 2012: 10 Impact Postseason Players You Haven't Heard Of

With the NBA playoffs under way, we're constantly being flooded with NBA advertisements featuring the brightest stars in the league.

But the marquee names aren't the only ones who impact the postseason.

The playoffs often bring out the best performances from unheralded role players. Contending teams need contributions from every resource, including the seldom-used bench players.

Which obscure ballers will impact their teams as the playoffs roll onward?

Here's a look at 10 little-known impact players to keep an eye on.

Alec Burks, Utah Jazz

If Utah wants to make a surprise run this postseason, the bench needs to step up every night.

Rookie guard Alec Burks could be an X-factor for the Jazz. The young slasher out of Colorado can reignite Utah's offense, creating off the dribble for himself and distributing the ball.

In his limited minutes in Game 1 against San Antonio, Burks was active on defense and went to the free-throw line five times.

That's a good sign of things to come for Burks, whose aggression on both ends of the floor could be the difference Utah needs.

Devin Ebanks, Los Angeles Lakers

Last week, Metta World Peace elbowed his way to a seven-game suspension, so the Los Angeles Lakers needed second-year forward Devin Ebanks to shoulder more responsibility.

He answered a lot of questions Sunday against the Denver Nuggets with 12 points in the opening half of his first career playoff game.

Ebanks also did his best to fill the defensive void left by World Peace. The lanky 6'9" forward did an admirable job defending the likes of Corey Brewer and Arron Afflalo.

Mike Brown would be thrilled if Ebanks could achieve similar double-digit scoring and solid defense throughout the rest of the playoffs.

Marreese Speights, Memphis Grizzlies

Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol are Memphis' premier power players, but third-year pro Marreese Speights packs a punch as well.

Speights came off the bench in the Grizzlies' Game 1 loss to the Clippers, yet he led the team in rebounding and chipped in eight points.

Memphis head coach Lionel Hollins can always count on Speights to finish strong in the lane, play through contact and hit the occasional outside shot.

His contributions are key to the Grizzlies neutralizing Blake Griffin, Reggie Evans and DeAndre Jordan.

John Lucas, Chicago Bulls

Chicago Bulls guard John Lucas hasn't impacted the playoffs yet, but Derrick Rose's devastating ACL injury will force the reserve into an increased role immediately.

C.J. Watson will likely step into Rose's starting spot at the point, so Lucas will be relied on to provide crucial minutes off the bench.

The good news for Bulls fans is that he's proven he can deliver when called upon. Lucas shot almost 40 percent from three-point range, knocked down 88 percent of his free throws and maintained a nice assist-to-turnover ratio this season.

Greg Stiemsma, Boston Celtics

The famed quartet of superstars in Boston gets almost all the attention, and deservedly so, but let's not forget about a rookie post player who could make or break the Celtics' title hopes.

Reserve center Greg Stiemsma doesn't share much of the scoring load, but he's a key defender and rebounder in the middle. He logged just 13.9 minutes per game this season but managed to register 23 multi-block games.

Doc Rivers hopes the 6'11", 260-pound shot-swatter will successfully protect the rim against the Eastern Conference's best big men.

Earl Clark, Orlando Magic

If the Orlando Magic want to survive past the first couple weeks of the playoffs, they'll need power forward Earl Clark to contribute as much as or more than he did in Game 1 against the Pacers.

With Dwight Howard's absence causing a significant roster shift, Clark is seeing more minutes than usual. He grabbed nine rebounds, swatted four shots and scored six points in 20 minutes against Indiana Saturday.

That type of substantial production is far beyond what he normally supplied throughout the regular season, but he'll have to get used to it, or else Orlando will sink swiftly.

Ian Mahinmi, Dallas Mavericks

During last year's championship run, Dallas Mavericks center Ian Mahinmi saw limited playing time.

When Tyson Chandler left for New York this offseason, Mahinmi and Brendan Haywood stepped up to share center duties, and it's clear that Rick Carlisle's confidence in Mahinmi is growing.

Mahinmi's game has gradually expanded on both ends of the floor, as his footwork and court sense have drastically improved.

He's being trusted with critical minutes now, and he was on the floor during crunch time of Game 1 against Oklahoma City. His clutch free throws nearly won the ballgame for Dallas until Kevin Durant's heroics.

Nick Collison, Oklahoma City Thunder

Sure, Nick Collison's not an unknown entity, but the Oklahoma City forward often gets forgotten amid the Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook hoopla.

Even though his role has shrunk the past couple years with the emergence of the Thunder's young talent, Collison's tenacity on the glass and all-around fundamental play are still valuable.

He has the highest PER (Player Efficiency Rating) on the team outside of the squad's "Big Three" and Serge Ibaka.

His playoffs didn't get off to the most productive start, but look for him to give quality minutes as the tournament wears on.

Jodie Meeks, Philadelphia 76ers

In Game 1 of the Bulls-76ers series, Philadelphia guard Jodie Meeks didn't make much of a splash offensively, but Chicago can't sleep on him.

His capability to knock down outside shots could be a difference-maker if the Bulls aren't careful. Meeks is a great catch-and-shoot threat who led the Sixers in three-point field goals this year. Look for him to stretch Chicago's defense all series long.

Meeks scored just two points in the opening game, but I wouldn't expect that to be the norm, as he averaged nearly eight points per game in the playoffs last season.

Ivan Johnson, Atlanta Hawks

If Atlanta Hawks forward Ivan Johnson can carry his superb April production into the postseason, Larry Drew's squad will be a tough, deep opponent.

Over the past month, Johnson asserted himself on the glass and in the paint, so he got to the free-throw line much more often than usual. The result was nearly 11 points per game and some great momentum heading into the playoffs.

The Hawks' level of dominance hinges largely on whether Johnson can continue to produce on the interior and convert open mid-range jumpers.