This article is part of our NBA Barometer series.
RISERS
Tobias Harris, SF, DET — Harris has looked reinvigorated since being dealt to the Pistons at the trade deadline, averaging 17.0 PPG in three games with Detroit after scoring less than 14.0 per game in a tumultuous first half with the Magic. The skidding Pistons will continue to look Harris' way in an effort to jump-start their below-average offense, so expect him to maintain his increased scoring while mirroring past production in other categories.
Gorgui Dieng, PF/C, MIN — With neither Nikola Pekovic nor Kevin Garnett looking close to a return, Dieng should continue seeing heavy minutes for the Timberwolves for the foreseeable future. The seemingly tireless big man has played at least 37 minutes in seven of his last 10 games, averaging 17.3 PPG and 11.1 RPG in those contests. As long as Dieng is playing big minutes, look for him to continue putting up double-doubles with about a steal and a block per game.
Nerlens Noel, PF, PHI — Noel has shown progress on the offensive end recently, averaging 13.2 PPG over his last 10 appearances to raise his season total to 10.9. The 76ers will continue to test the 21-year-old's offensive limits with the postseason out of reach, setting Noel up for success when factoring in his well-established rebounding and defensive prowess. Philadelphia basketball hasn't been pretty to watch the last few years, but Noel's recent development is a welcome sight for his owners.
Zach LaVine, PG, MIN — LaVine is embroiled
RISERS
Tobias Harris, SF, DET — Harris has looked reinvigorated since being dealt to the Pistons at the trade deadline, averaging 17.0 PPG in three games with Detroit after scoring less than 14.0 per game in a tumultuous first half with the Magic. The skidding Pistons will continue to look Harris' way in an effort to jump-start their below-average offense, so expect him to maintain his increased scoring while mirroring past production in other categories.
Gorgui Dieng, PF/C, MIN — With neither Nikola Pekovic nor Kevin Garnett looking close to a return, Dieng should continue seeing heavy minutes for the Timberwolves for the foreseeable future. The seemingly tireless big man has played at least 37 minutes in seven of his last 10 games, averaging 17.3 PPG and 11.1 RPG in those contests. As long as Dieng is playing big minutes, look for him to continue putting up double-doubles with about a steal and a block per game.
Nerlens Noel, PF, PHI — Noel has shown progress on the offensive end recently, averaging 13.2 PPG over his last 10 appearances to raise his season total to 10.9. The 76ers will continue to test the 21-year-old's offensive limits with the postseason out of reach, setting Noel up for success when factoring in his well-established rebounding and defensive prowess. Philadelphia basketball hasn't been pretty to watch the last few years, but Noel's recent development is a welcome sight for his owners.
Zach LaVine, PG, MIN — LaVine is embroiled in a strange situation in which he alternates starts with veteran Tayshaun Prince, but the Slam Dunk Contest champ is proving to be a major offensive threat regardless of his starting status. His varied contributions on that end over the past 10 games include seven performances with at least three assists, four efforts of at least four rebounds, and a 15.4 PPG average that would be bolstered significantly if you went back one more game to include his 35-point outburst on Jan. 27. The Timberwolves have every reason to encourage LaVine’s development in an otherwise lost season, so expect some flashy fantasy performances to go along with his dunks in the near future.
Kemba Walker, PG, CHA — Walker has come out of the All-Star break hot, totaling 53 points in two games to nearly match the 55 he scored in Charlotte's last two pre-break contests. The former UConn star can be a streaky shooter, but he's an absolute must-have player when he gets on hot streaks like his current one. With Al Jefferson back to take away some defensive attention from him, look for Walker to keep firing away early and often as he continues to reach high scoring totals in the coming days.
INJURIES
Marc Gasol, C, MEM — The Grizzlies suffered a devastating blow Monday when it was announced that Gasol will miss the rest of the season following foot surgery. Fill-in starter JaMychal Green hasn't exactly been lighting it up in Gasol's place, and newly acquired guard Lance Stephenson doesn't bring enough on either end of the floor to even begin making up for Gasol's absence. Expect their normally intimidating defense to suffer a severe downturn with Gasol out and perimeter pest Tony Allen battling a short-term knee ailment.
Kelly Olynyk, C, BOS — Cavaliers fans had to wait a long time for the man who injured Kevin Love in the 2015 playoffs to see justice in their eyes, but that moment has finally come. Olynyk will be out three to four weeks with a shoulder injury of his own, limiting Boston's shooting at the center position. His pre-injury contributions weren't significant enough for owners in most formats to keep him on their rosters as he heals.
Tyson Chandler, C, PHX — Chandler will probably be back before long from a shoulder injury that has kept him out of two straight games, but his minutes could be reduced as the Suns look to develop young center Alex Len. Len averaged a double-double during that two-game stretch, and Phoenix gains very little from using the well-established Chandler with the playoffs out of reach, meaning there's a strong chance he'll be brought back slowly.
FALLERS
Al Jefferson, C, CHA — Jefferson has been asked to come off the bench since returning from a long-term knee injury, and chances are the Hornets won't be looking to change their starting lineup after winning five straight games. While his 18-point, seven-rebound effort in 24 minutes Sunday against the Nets was decent, Jefferson's not going to exceed those numbers often as long as he's stuck in a bench role. Until he returns to the starting lineup, don't expect the veteran to put up the borderline 20-point and 10-rebound numbers to which owners have become accustomed.
Kristaps Porzingis, PF, NYK — While many expected Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony to decline after the All-Star break, it has been his beloved rookie teammate who has crumbled so far. Porzingis has continued his recent woeful shooting with two games at or below .400 from the field in three tries since play resumed, and the poor shooting has been compounded by a decline in rebounding as evidenced by consecutive two-rebound efforts. The Latvian seems to be hitting a rookie wall, and will have to scale it quickly if he wants to impede his decline.
Bradley Beal, SG, WAS — The Wizards stuck with their plan to play their starting shooting guard around 28 minutes per game during their back-to-back-to-back set coming out of the All-Star break, and results were hardly ideal for Beal owners. A full five-minute reduction from his career average of 33.0 per game is bound to adversely impact his stats, and the oft-injured Beal will likely have to settle for mid-teens scoring as opposed to his customary high-teens output with slight declines in other stats as long as Washington stays firm in its goal to curtail his minutes.
Markieff Morris, PF, WAS — Beal's minutes restriction is far from the only unpopular decision to come out of Washington lately. We're talking, of course, about the choice to trade for Markieff Morris and subsequently bring him off the bench. Just as Morris finally looked ready to forgive the Suns for trading his twin brother, he got dealt to a Wizards team on which his talent will be depressed working as part of a three-man power forward rotation with Jared Dudley and Nene Hilario. A potential second-half boom was turned into a definite bust at the trade deadline, as the 21 minutes per game Morris has seen with the Wizards aren't enough for him to be much of a factor in most formats.
