This article is part of our NBA Barometer series.
Striking while the iron is hot can erase defects in a fantasy squad – see Will Barton during the opening weeks of the current campaign – and Markieff Morris' recent surge may be a similar development.
Tipping off the season as the Suns' starting power forward, Morris appeared to be at ease with his twin brother, Marcus, in a different time zone, playing a prototypical 26 minutes per game while taking the court in 17 of the first 20 contests. Only a pair of knee injuries forced three DNPs during that span, but petulance both on and off the court soon placed him in coach Jeff Hornacek's doghouse. After missing 12 of the next 19 outings due to coach's decision – and even logging a two-game suspension for throwing a towel at Hornacek in a Dec. 23 tilt – Morris abruptly received 27 minutes last Tuesday, which he followed with back-to-back starts, likely in an effort to revitalize his trade value. Morris has responded with output that harkens back to previous campaigns, averaging 14.0 points (on 40 percent shooting), 7.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.7 steals in 28 minutes per gameover the last three. If he keeps up the pace and lands in cozier confines, scooping up the 26-year-old forward now could shore up deficiencies that have compounded to this point in the season.
Every week, we'll use this space to track players whose fantasy values are improving or declining. We're not particularly concerned with hot or cold streaks
Striking while the iron is hot can erase defects in a fantasy squad – see Will Barton during the opening weeks of the current campaign – and Markieff Morris' recent surge may be a similar development.
Tipping off the season as the Suns' starting power forward, Morris appeared to be at ease with his twin brother, Marcus, in a different time zone, playing a prototypical 26 minutes per game while taking the court in 17 of the first 20 contests. Only a pair of knee injuries forced three DNPs during that span, but petulance both on and off the court soon placed him in coach Jeff Hornacek's doghouse. After missing 12 of the next 19 outings due to coach's decision – and even logging a two-game suspension for throwing a towel at Hornacek in a Dec. 23 tilt – Morris abruptly received 27 minutes last Tuesday, which he followed with back-to-back starts, likely in an effort to revitalize his trade value. Morris has responded with output that harkens back to previous campaigns, averaging 14.0 points (on 40 percent shooting), 7.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.7 steals in 28 minutes per gameover the last three. If he keeps up the pace and lands in cozier confines, scooping up the 26-year-old forward now could shore up deficiencies that have compounded to this point in the season.
Every week, we'll use this space to track players whose fantasy values are improving or declining. We're not particularly concerned with hot or cold streaks – all players toss up a 2-for-10 game every now and then – unless they are extreme or seem to indicate an underlying problem or injury. Instead, we'll be looking at changes in playing time, rotation role, or performance.
Stock Up
Taj Gibson (PF/C)
Upon replacing Nikola Mirotic as the Bulls' regular starting power forward on Dec. 9, Gibson's workload has been dependent upon the health of Joakim Noah. If one is unaware of the time line, Noah suffered a sprained left shoulder on Dec. 21 that forced a nine-game absence, during which Gibson played between 25 and 38 minutes per game. Noah returned on Jan. 11 but mustered just four appearances before misfortune struck again Friday against the Mavericks, when he was lost for the season due to a dislocation in the same shoulder.
Over the course of the past 14 games, Gibson has flirted with double-doubles nightly, averaging 8.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, and 1.1 assists in 31 minutes per game while knocking down 55 percent of his shots from the floor. As the season continues, he should have no problem fending off the likes of Mirotic, Bobby Portis and a stable of unpalatable options at the end of the bench.
Donald Sloan (PG)
On track for years of ignominy, with prime future draft picks destined for the Celtics and little existing talent to build around, the Nets endured additional hits with Jarrett Jack's torn ACL on Jan. 2 and the dismissal of coach Lionel Hollins just over a week later. Since Tony Brown took the mantle of interim coach, he's turned over the reins of the offense from Shane Larkin to Sloan, who remains hesitant to score but has contributed elsewhere to the tune of 8.4 points, 7.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 three-pointer in 28 minutes per game over the past five. While the sample size is somewhat lacking, the dime count is too dazzling to pass up in most leagues.
Others – Robert Covington, PF/SF, PHI; Ersan Ilyasova, PF/SF, DET; Tyler Johnson, SG, MIA; Frank Kaminsky, C/PF, CHA; Trey Lyles, PF, UTA; Shabazz Muhammad, SF, MIN; Marcus Smart, PG/SG, BOS
Hold Steady
Garrett Temple (SG)
Temple's ascendence in the Wizards' rotation was precipitated by a stress reaction in Bradley Beal's right leg, which has ensured a spot in the starting lineup for all but one game since Dec. 11, despite the latter's return last Wednesday. Limited to a minutes restriction and only one appearance in back-to-back sets for at least another week, Beal may take over the top two-guard job before January comes to a close. With his role safe for the time being, Temple is apt to uphold his production from the past 20 games, which has equated to 11.4 points (on 44 percent shooting), 2.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 three-pointers and 1.1 steals in 31 minutes per game.
Other – Nikola Mirotic, PF/SF, CHI
Stock Down
Mario Chalmers (PG/SG)
With the return of Mike Conley on Monday from a six-game absence due to a sore Achilles, Chalmers' tasks were predictably scaled back, resulting in three points, five assists and one rebound in 21 minutes. Chalmers scored all of his points from the charity stripe, which occurred just twice in 27 games as the primary backup to Conley since he arrived via trade from Miami in early November. Still, in that capacity, Chalmers averaged 10.0 points, 2.9 assists, 2.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.7 three-pointers in 20 minutes per game. Consider that his baseline, with the potential to expand if Conley experiences a recurrence of the aforementioned ailment, but Chalmers is no longer a standard-league contemplation without an assurance of significant run.
Tristan Thompson (PF/C)
After a nine-game foray in the starting five, Thompson was unseated by Timofey Mozgov on Friday, a configuration that extended into Monday's showdown against the Warriors. Considering the Cavaliers floundered in the rematch of 2015 NBA finalists, Thompson is unlikely to repeat his season-low 12-minute showing. A reserve gig hasn't exactly yielded fruit, though, as he's averaged 6.8 points and 9.1 rebounds in 25 minutes per game in such a role. With uncertainty surrounding the Cavs' final starting spot, it's difficult to trust in Thompson, who provides boards and little else.
Others – Marco Belinelli, SG, SAC; Tyson Chandler, C, PHX; Danny Green, SG/SF, SA; Shane Larkin, PG, BKN; Jon Leuer, PF, PHO
