This article is part of our NBA Barometer series.
GUARDS
GAINING VALUE
Elfrid Payton, NOP: Payton has endured an injury-plagued season, but he's been solid whenever he's been able to suit up. Given that he's (somewhat of a) veteran on an expiring contract, he may be supplanted by younger pieces if/when the Pels are eliminated from playoff consideration, but for the moment, he's worth owning in all formats. The veteran has returned from a recent absence due to an ankle injury with three straight double-digit scoring efforts, including a 10-point, 14-assist tally against the 76ers on Monday. With Anthony Davis' minutes potentially limited in many games down the stretch as New Orleans looks to protect its extremely valuable trade chip, Payton could also be the beneficiary of a bump in usage in those contests.Damyean Dotson, NYK: The Knicks appear to finally be finding some consistent offense, and the emerging Dotson is a big reason why. Prior to Tuesday's win over the Magic, the 2017 second-round pick generated four straight double-digit scoring efforts, including 20 and 27 points against the Timberwolves and Spurs, respectively. One of the more impressive aspects of Dotson's game is his willingness to attack from distance. The University of Houston product has attempted 40 three-pointers over his last five games, including 13 against San Antonio on Sunday. It's a bit concerning that Dotson saw only 17 minutes Tuesday, but he still started the game, and the Knicks' rotation has been prone to nightly swings all season.
ALSO GAINING VALUE:
GUARDS
GAINING VALUE
Elfrid Payton, NOP: Payton has endured an injury-plagued season, but he's been solid whenever he's been able to suit up. Given that he's (somewhat of a) veteran on an expiring contract, he may be supplanted by younger pieces if/when the Pels are eliminated from playoff consideration, but for the moment, he's worth owning in all formats. The veteran has returned from a recent absence due to an ankle injury with three straight double-digit scoring efforts, including a 10-point, 14-assist tally against the 76ers on Monday. With Anthony Davis' minutes potentially limited in many games down the stretch as New Orleans looks to protect its extremely valuable trade chip, Payton could also be the beneficiary of a bump in usage in those contests.Damyean Dotson, NYK: The Knicks appear to finally be finding some consistent offense, and the emerging Dotson is a big reason why. Prior to Tuesday's win over the Magic, the 2017 second-round pick generated four straight double-digit scoring efforts, including 20 and 27 points against the Timberwolves and Spurs, respectively. One of the more impressive aspects of Dotson's game is his willingness to attack from distance. The University of Houston product has attempted 40 three-pointers over his last five games, including 13 against San Antonio on Sunday. It's a bit concerning that Dotson saw only 17 minutes Tuesday, but he still started the game, and the Knicks' rotation has been prone to nightly swings all season.
ALSO GAINING VALUE: Brandon Knight, CLE; Tyler Johnson, PHO; Dion Waiters, MIA
LOSING VALUE
De'Anthony Melton, PHO: Trade-deadline acquisition Tyler Johnson appears set to remain the starting point guard, particularly after a pair of strong showings following a slow start in Phoenix. Since returning from an ankle injury, Melton has played just 14 and five minutes, respectively, over the last two games. The Suns' rotation is always subject to change, but for the time being, Igor Kokoskov appears content to go with Jamal Crawford and Troy Daniels off the bench.FORWARDS
GAINING VALUE
Nikola Mirotic, MIL: Mirotic is just starting to find his way in Milwaukee, but given his previous body of work, it's just a matter of time before the floor-spacing big starts racking up his usual numbers. After totaling eight points over just 14 minutes in his Bucks debut, Mirotic put up 17 and 13 points off the bench in his next two games. He's shooting a career-high 45.2 percent for the season, overall, and hasn't been shy about pulling the trigger since coming to Milwaukee. Mirotic has attempted 29 shots in 38 minutes, 21 of which have come from beyond the arc.Marvin Bagley III, SAC: In what qualifies as one of this season's what took so long? decisions, Bagley has finally been moved into the starting five and the results have been, unsurprisingly, spectacular. Bagley is coming off of a 25-point, 11-rebound double-double Monday night against the Timberwolves -- his third straight double-double after he went for 28 and 14 against the Warriors and 19 and 10 in a win over OKC.
Bagley had already been providing impressive per-minute production off the bench, but since the All-Star break, the No. 2 overall pick is seeing 35.7 minutes per game and responding with 24.0 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.0 combined blocks/steals. While Bagley won't make much of an impact as a passer or three-point shooter, his aggressiveness around the rim has earned him 8.6 trips to the free throw line per game over his last five contests, and he's converting at a 77 percent clip.
ALSO GAINING VALUE: JaMychal Green, LAC
LOSING VALUE
Will Barton, DEN: Though he bounced back with 23 points and five assists in Tuesday's thrilling win over the Thunder, Barton has been in the midst of a slump dating back to early February The seventh-year pro has is carrying the second-lowest shooting percentage (41.7%) of his career, and he's putting up his fewest shot attempts per game (10.6) since the 2014-15 campaign. Both Barton's rebounding (4.3 RPG) and assists (3.5 APG) figures are also down from last year, and he's uncharacteristically posted single-digit scoring tallies in five of the last 10 contests. While his starting small forward job appears secure, the veteran is still looking to find his groove after missing most of the first half of the season.D.J. Wilson, MIL: The recent arrival of Nikola Mirotic hasn't exactly been a boon for Wilson's fantasy stock, as he'd logged a total of just 16 minutes over four games prior to Monday, a stretch that included a pair of DNP-CDs. Giannis Antetokounmpo's absence against the Bulls did lead to Wilson seeing 20 minutes in that contest, but the fact he was just out of the rotation altogether for the two games immediately preceding Monday's contest doesn't bode well. Given the glut of players in the Milwaukee frontcourt rotation at present, Wilson's playing time is likely to continue taking a hit in the foreseeable future.
CENTERS
GAINING VALUE
Robin Lopez, CHI: Although the expectation is that Lopez could eventually give way to younger players, the Bulls don't have a ton of options at center right now with Wendell Carter injured and Bobby Portis in Washington. So long as he has the advantage over Cristiano Felicio, there's no ignoring the numbers Lopez is putting up. The veteran has posted eight straight double-digit scoring efforts, mostly recently going for a season-high 26 points in a battle against his twin brother, Brook, in Monday's loss to Milwaukee. While Lopez is an underwhelming rebounder for the position, he's added 1.5 blocks per game over his last six contests, while shooting 82 percent at the foul line (4.5 FTA/G) in that span.Jonas Valanciunas, MEM: The combination of a change of scenery and recovering from a thumb injury have proven to be the magic formula for Valanciunas, who's fit right in in Memphis. After a 20-point, 13-rebound outing Monday night, he now has three double-doubles in four games in a Grizzlies uniform, and he's done his work in relatively limited minutes (24.8 MPG). Both Valanciunas and Joakim Noah have stepped up since the trade deadline, but Valanciunas is the more consistent and appealing fantasy commodity.
ALSO GAINING VALUE: Enes Kanter, POR; Joakim Noah, MEM
