This article is part of our NBA Barometer series.
RISERS
Elfrid Payton, PG, ORL - Payton's 11-point, 12-assist effort against the hapless Nets was just his latest strong performance in a week that saw the young point guard average 15.0 PPG and 9.8 APG over four games. He has looked supremely confident on the floor since putting up a triple-double against the Pistons on Mar. 23, and the Magic are likely to hand Payton heavy minutes down the stretch as they shift their focus to next season with the playoffs out of reach.
Marcus Morris, PF, DET - Morris has earned heavy minutes all season thanks to his combination of spacing and defense, but his value to the Pistons' late-season playoff push has taken another leap due to a well-timed hot streak from the floor. The fifth-year man out of Kansas is blowing his 42.9 field goal percentage and 35.2 3-point percentage marks out of the water over his last five games, connecting on 57.6 percent of all shot attempts and 54.5 percent from deep, en route to 18.6 PPG over his last five games. If he can keep shooting lights out, the calmer Morris twin will be a major asset down the stretch, as there's little doubt the Pistons will continue giving him all the playing time he can handle with a playoff berth on the line.
Kristaps Porzingis, PF, NYK - Porzingis has regained the high level that made him such a sensation early in this campaign, averaging 20.8 PPG and 9.0 RPG in
RISERS
Elfrid Payton, PG, ORL - Payton's 11-point, 12-assist effort against the hapless Nets was just his latest strong performance in a week that saw the young point guard average 15.0 PPG and 9.8 APG over four games. He has looked supremely confident on the floor since putting up a triple-double against the Pistons on Mar. 23, and the Magic are likely to hand Payton heavy minutes down the stretch as they shift their focus to next season with the playoffs out of reach.
Marcus Morris, PF, DET - Morris has earned heavy minutes all season thanks to his combination of spacing and defense, but his value to the Pistons' late-season playoff push has taken another leap due to a well-timed hot streak from the floor. The fifth-year man out of Kansas is blowing his 42.9 field goal percentage and 35.2 3-point percentage marks out of the water over his last five games, connecting on 57.6 percent of all shot attempts and 54.5 percent from deep, en route to 18.6 PPG over his last five games. If he can keep shooting lights out, the calmer Morris twin will be a major asset down the stretch, as there's little doubt the Pistons will continue giving him all the playing time he can handle with a playoff berth on the line.
Kristaps Porzingis, PF, NYK - Porzingis has regained the high level that made him such a sensation early in this campaign, averaging 20.8 PPG and 9.0 RPG in 36 minutes per game in four appearances over the past week. The Latvian rookie seemed to wear down as the season wore on due to the NBA's extensive schedule, but he finally seems to be adjusting to life as an American pro down the stretch. Expect the Knicks to continue giving their prized young asset plenty of looks in the season's final few games now that he has once again found a rhythm with three double-doubles in his last four outings.
Tim Frazier, PG, NOP - Frazier has averaged 26 minutes per game in seven appearances for the Pelicans thus far, but that number figures to go up with fellow point guard Jrue Holiday out for the season after suffering an eye injury late in the fourth quarter of Monday's victory over the Knicks. There's pretty much nobody left healthy enough to challenge Frazier and Toney Douglas for minutes in the New Orleans backcourt, making the unheralded Penn State product an enticing option down the stretch due to sheer opportunity and volume, if nothing else.
Wesley Matthews, SG, DAL - Matthews has been answering the call for the Mavericks since they lost Chandler Parsons (knee) for the season Mar. 18. Matthews averaged 17.8 PPG in 36 minutes per game in five subsequent appearances. He's the only healthy natural wing left on the roster, so the former Trail Blazer's rise should continue as he'll see all the minutes he can handle with the undermanned Mavericks still in playoff contention.
INJURIES
Deron Williams, PG, DAL - The Mavericks' quest to sneak into the playoffs suffered another setback recently, with Williams missing the team's last three games due to an abdominal issue. While he'll be reinserted into the lineup as soon as he's good to go, it's unclear just how soon that will be. Point guard is the one position at which Dallas isn't thin, as Raymond Felton, J.J. Barea and Devin Harris were already seeing important minutes even before Williams went down.
Blake Griffin, PF, LAC - It took a little longer than expected, but Griffin has finally been medically cleared to rejoin the Clippers. All that's keeping him from getting back on the court is a four-game suspension that the 2009 first overall pick must serve for punching a team employee in the face while rehabbing his quad injury. That suspension will be over Sunday, at which point the Clippers will probably hand Griffin a bevy of touches at everyone else's expense, as they attempt to quickly reintegrate the power forward into their offense with the postseason looming. It's not like he was playing starter's minutes anyway, but Luc Richard Mbah a Moute will be nowhere near the starting lineup as soon as Griffin returns.
Andre Iguodala, SF, GSW - The Warriors are taking no chances with Iguodala's ankle injury, as they have already announced that they're shutting down the 2015 NBA Finals MVP for the rest of the week. It's hard to blame them considering they could well set the NBA single-season wins record without him since Harrison Barnes has proven capable of handling extended minutes in Iguodala's absence in the past.
FALLERS
Reggie Jackson, PG, DET - Detroit's surge into a playoff position in the Eastern Conference has come in spite of Jackson's poor play, as his averages of 13.3 PPG, 6.0 APG, and 2.5 RPG over the last six games are below his season marks. While it's possible Jackson can turn things around, don't expect the Pistons to give him any extra touches considering they're winning despite the point guard's recent slump.
Rudy Gobert, C, UTA - Don't let Gobert's 19-rebound effort Monday against the putrid Lakers distract you from his recent struggles, as that game marked just the third time the Frenchman was able to surpass his season average of 11 boards in his last 10 appearances to go along with a measly 5.3 PPG over that span. With just three steals over that period as well, Gobert has been failing to get it done across the board for a while now.
Bradley Beal, SG, WSH - While Beal has mixed in three 20-plus point efforts in his last nine outings, his inability to top 12 points in any of the other six has left the shooting guard with an unimpressive 14.1 PPG mark in that span overall. He's still playing under a minutes restriction after dealing with injury issues for much of the season, which has led to continued inconsistency both in terms of scoring and contributions in secondary stats.
Myles Turner, PF, IND - Turner has been incredibly underwhelming with just 12 points and 13 rebounds total in three games since posting a double-double on his 20th birthday. The playoff-chasing Pacers have cut his minutes with each successive dud, and it seems they don't trust the inconsistent rookie enough to have him playing a major role in make-or-break situations. Turner has a bright future ahead of him, but he makes for a shaky option in the present.
