NBA Waiver Wire: More Top Adds for Week 16

NBA Waiver Wire: More Top Adds for Week 16

This article is part of our NBA Waiver Wire series.

Several of last week's suggested pickups have since seen their rostered percentage rise, including Gary Trent Jr. (48% rostered), Danny Green (47% rostered), Chuma Okeke (46% rostered) and Jae'Sean Tate (44% rostered). As such, this week's column will focus on players who weren't touched on in last week's piece, which prioritized those who were affected in one way or another by the activity leading up to the March 26 trade deadline.

YOUNG PLAYERS TO MONITOR

Hamidou Diallo, Pistons

Diallo was having a breakout campaign in Oklahoma City prior to being dealt to Detroit. While he's still dealing with the effects of a groin injury that forced him to sit out Thursday's second half of a back-to-back, he excelled in his last two appearances. Diallo turned in 19 points (6-10 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 6-7 FT), 10 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal in 27 minutes during Monday's matchup versus the Raptors, and he followed up with 19 points (7-8 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 3-3 FT), seven boards, three dimes, one steal and one block in 26 minutes during Wednesday's matchup with the Trail Blazers. The select few who didn't move on from Diallo -- despite the fact that injuries forced him to miss a month of action -- are now reaping the benefits.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Pelicans

Alexander-Walker was on a tear in the absence of Lonzo Ball (hip), who missed seven consecutive contests. Alexander-Walker scored at least 15 points five times while starting in place of Ball.

Several of last week's suggested pickups have since seen their rostered percentage rise, including Gary Trent Jr. (48% rostered), Danny Green (47% rostered), Chuma Okeke (46% rostered) and Jae'Sean Tate (44% rostered). As such, this week's column will focus on players who weren't touched on in last week's piece, which prioritized those who were affected in one way or another by the activity leading up to the March 26 trade deadline.

YOUNG PLAYERS TO MONITOR

Hamidou Diallo, Pistons

Diallo was having a breakout campaign in Oklahoma City prior to being dealt to Detroit. While he's still dealing with the effects of a groin injury that forced him to sit out Thursday's second half of a back-to-back, he excelled in his last two appearances. Diallo turned in 19 points (6-10 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 6-7 FT), 10 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal in 27 minutes during Monday's matchup versus the Raptors, and he followed up with 19 points (7-8 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 3-3 FT), seven boards, three dimes, one steal and one block in 26 minutes during Wednesday's matchup with the Trail Blazers. The select few who didn't move on from Diallo -- despite the fact that injuries forced him to miss a month of action -- are now reaping the benefits.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Pelicans

Alexander-Walker was on a tear in the absence of Lonzo Ball (hip), who missed seven consecutive contests. Alexander-Walker scored at least 15 points five times while starting in place of Ball. Moreover, he averaged 18.9 points across the last seven outings, to go along with 5.4 boards, 3.6 threes, 2.7 dimes, 1.1 block2 and 0.0 steals in 34.7 minutes. Alexander-Walker appears to be in the process of earning a more substantial role going forward, even with Ball back in action.

Jaden McDaniels, Timberwolves

McDaniels has scored at least 13 points in five of his last six games, a stretch in which he's averaging 13.3 points (54.7% FG, 51.7% 3PT, 100.0% FT), 4.7 rebounds, 2.5 treys, 2.0 assists, 1.5 blocks and 0.3 steals across 33.2 minutes. His shooting percentages will regress toward the mean, but McDaniels is one of Minnesota's most intriguing young players. Based on his considerable upside and his Wolves' position in the standings, the rookie forward may remain heavily involved for the rest of the season.

Shake Milton, 76ers

Milton has managed double-digit points in nine straight showings, and he's poured in 20-plus three times while averaging 17.3 points during that stretch. While the return of Joel Embiid will almost certainly result in less reliance on Milton, from a scoring perspective, he stood out with 27 points, five boards, five treys, four dimes and one steal in 27 minutes during Thursday's contest against the Cavaliers. With Tyrese Maxey in the league's health and safety protocols, Milton could pick up a few more minutes off the bench this week.

Theo Maledon, Thunder 

Maledon has been taking advantage of the opportunity provided by the absence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (foot), reaching double figures in scoring in seven of the last nine games. Maledon's shooting percentages and turnover troubles likely limit his appeal to deeper formats, but for those in need of fairly well-rounded counting stats, the rookie point guard may be worth a look while Gilgeous-Alexander, who's expected to miss at least a couple more weeks, is on the shelf. Maledon popped for 33 points, five rebounds, three assists and five threes in Friday's loss to Phoenix.

Jalen Brunson, Mavericks

Brunson might be the most slept-on player in fantasy basketball right now. Sure, there are nights when he sees fewer than 20 minutes, and a four-game stretch of subpar performances (from March 15-21) probably played its part in scaring away those in shallower leagues. Still, Brunson has scored in double figures in six of the last seven games while going for 20-plus twice in that span. Bottom line: with per-game averages of 12.9 points (53.8% FG, 39.4% 3PT, 81.6% FT), 3.5 boards, 3.4 dimes, 1.2 threes and 0.6 steals across 25.3 minutes, Brunson shouldn't be so widely available.

Mo Bamba, Magic 

Bamba has stepped up following Orlando's decision to trade two-time All-Star Nikola Vucevic. Though Wendell Carter is ahead of him on the depth chart, and more versatile on both ends of the court, Bamba recently scored in double figures in four straight matchups while showcasing noteworthy improvement in multiple areas. Having slowly but surely filled out his frame over the last few years, Bamba isn't being pushed around as much, as evidenced by his rebounding and block totals of late. Across that four-game stretch, he's averaging 11.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 blocks, 1.0 three and 0.3 steals in 18.5 minutes.

Terance Mann, Clippers

Mann has managed double-digit point totals in six of the last eight contests while making respectable contributions in the rebounding and assist departments. With averages of 15.1 points, 6.9 boards and 2.6 assists in 28.5 minutes across this recent eight-game stretch, Mann seems to be solidifying his status as a regular rotation player for the Clippers.

WIDELY AVAILABLE VETERAN GUARDS

Cory Joseph, Pistons

Joseph is holding down the fort as Detroit's backup point guard -- at least while Dennis Smith (neck) is out. Across the last four games, Joseph has cobbled together averages of 12.0 points, 5.8 assists, 2.3 boards, 2.0 steals and 0.5 blocks in 23.3 minutes. Those desperate for assists and steals in leagues in which T.J. McConnell (49% rostered) and Tomas Satoransky (21% rostered) have already been scooped up could do much worse than Joseph.

D.J. Augustin, Rockets

Like Joseph, Augustin is not a splashy add by any stretch of the imagination. Nevertheless, after struggling to find his form for the Bucks earlier this season, Augustin has looked more like the player who has carved out a lengthy career for himself. During a four-game stretch prior to Saturday's loss to Boston, he averaged 14.3 points (61.3% FG, 56.3% 3PT, 90.9% FT), 4.3 dimes, 3.0 boards and 2.3 threes in 20.5 minutes.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gabriel Allen
Gabriel Allen is a tennis professional and freelance journalist whose work has been published in the Washington Post and Sports Illustrated, among other places.
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