NBA Barometer: Momentum Upswing

RISERS

Khris Middleton, SG, MIL - Middleton has been on the rise for a while now, as his mix of scoring, dishing and rebounding have allowed him to accrue value in a variety of ways. Over his last 17 games, he has scored at least 18 points 16 times, added at least five assists on eight occasions and pulled down a minimum of five boards 12 times. Middleton's ability to distribute the ball has been pushed to the forefront with backup point guard Michael Carter-Williams out, and the shooting guard's assist numbers should take a leap moving forward if his 23 dimes over the last three games are any indication.

Nicolas Batum, SF, CHA - Much like with Milwaukee's Khris Middleton, Batum's versatility and ability to distribute the ball have powered his recent surge. The former Trail Blazer is averaging 16.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG and 6.3 APG in the month of March, with over a steal and a block per game to boot. Finally having a healthy Batum is a big reason why Charlotte is 7-1 this month, and owners need to start taking notice of his across-the-board contributions night in and night out.

Nikola Mirotic, PF, CHI - Mirotic scored 17 points in 32 minutes while drawing a start in place of the injured Pau Gasol (knee) Monday, marking new highs since returning from an appendectomy Mar. 5. The Montenegrin is averaging 12.5 PPG and 7.5 RPG in the two games in which he's seen more than 20 minutes since returning, and his stats should only continue to creep up as he regains fitness and sees the floor more. Gasol has already been ruled out for Wednesday's contest against the Wizards, giving Mirotic a nice opportunity to keep his momentum rolling.

Kenneth Faried, PF, DEN - Faried has been on a Jekyll and Hyde stretch of late, with seven double-doubles and four clunkers in his last 11 games. Still, his averages of 21.0 PPG and 12.1 RPG in the seven strong performances are too good to overlook. If the Manimal maintains his 64 percent rate of delivering numbers like that, he'll make it exceedingly easy to overlook the odd down game.

J.J. Redick, SG, LAC - Redick's value is tied almost exclusively to his scoring and, specifically, 3-point shooting, so his recent hot streak from the field has been music to owners' ears. The veteran sniper has knocked down 53 percent of his shots, while canning 17 3-pointers and making 14 of 15 free throws to boot over his last five games. He is unsurprisingly averaging 19.4 PPG over that span and should receive maximum utilization until he shows some signs of cooling off.

INJURIES

Pau Gasol, PF, CHI - After being scratched Monday, Gasol has already been ruled out of Wednesday's contest with a knee injury. Chicago is hopeful that the offensively gifted big man will be available after that, but his absence in the meantime will gift Nikola Mirotic a golden opportunity to play his way back into shape, while Jimmy Butler immediately will be asked to carry the Bulls offense despite just returning from a knee injury of his own.

Jae Crowder, SF, BOS - Crowder is expected to miss a couple weeks after spraining his ankle Friday against the Rockets. Head coach Brad Stevens opted to start Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart together Tuesday, but don't be surprised if he looks to give Evan Turner more of the minutes vacated by Crowder going forward, considering the rangy wing is a more natural fit at the small forward position than any of the aforementioned guards.

Blake Griffin, PF, LAC - Griffin's quad injury is still giving him problems, and the Clippers star is running behind schedule in his rehab as a result. Trade-deadline acquisition Jeff Green should continue to fill in at the power forward position, and those hoping to get Griffin back soon should also remember that he must serve a four-game suspension upon returning to the Los Angeles lineup.

FALLERS

Rudy Gay, SF, SAC - Gay has been atrocious offensively for the Kings amid locker room unrest in March, scoring more than five points under his season average at just 12.2 PPG, while turning the ball over 2.7 times per game. Sacramento has dropped five straight since beating the Mavericks on Mar. 3, and right now Gay doesn't seem interested in doing much to reverse that trend.

Serge Ibaka, PF, OKC - Ibaka's play over the past five games has been far from what we've come to expect from the Congolese power forward. His numbers are down across the board, as he's averaging just 10.0 PPG and 5.6 RPG. Even his normally astronomical block numbers have been reduced to a much more mortal 1.2 per game in that span. A minor ankle injury could be the culprit behind Ibaka's struggles, but, regardless of the cause, he simply isn't playing well at the moment.

Myles Turner, PF, IND - Turner has hit a bit of a rookie wall, averaging just 10.0 PPG and 5.1 RPG over his last 10 games. Those numbers are below Turner's season averages, despite those averages including a long early-season period during which the Texas product was a fringe bench player. Until he puts it together again, Turner shouldn't be treated as much more than a below-average blocks specialist.

Jrue Holiday, PG, NO - Just when it seemed like Holiday had finally shed his minutes restrictions, he averaged just 10.5 PPG and 4.0 APG over his last two games while playing under 30 minutes in each. He could quickly reverse this downward trend in production if the Pelicans truly let him loose, but that doesn't seem likely considering Holiday didn't get his full workload Monday, despite ostensibly only coming off the bench Saturday to be available for his full complement of minutes moving forward.