NBA Barometer: Upside Blocked

Now that every team has played at least five games (with some up to nine already), there is a decent base with which to understand who's in and out of rotations. Outside of those known entities, fluid situations exist throughout the league, which is key to striking on free agents before they're hot commodities. A prime example is Langston Galloway of the Knicks, who are trotting out an underwhelming starting backcourt of Jose Calderon and Sasha Vujacic. Head coach Derek Fisher is seemingly waiting for Arron Afflalo (hamstring) to return before making a change, and lo and behold, the guard considers himself probable to play Wednesday. If that comes to fruition, Fisher could flip Vujecic and Calderon for Afflalo and Galloway, whose 19.3 PER is equivalent to Carmelo Anthony's in six fewer minutes per game. Not only does Galloway have almost a year of the Triangle offense under his belt, but his per-36 numbers – 15.3 points (on 46 percent shooting), 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 three-pointers, 2.6 assists, and 1.3 steals – should inspire interested parties to pounce sooner rather than later.

Every week, we'll use this space to track players whose fantasy value is improving, declining or uncertain. 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

Kent Bazemore (SG/SF)
The Hawks lost DeMarre Carroll in free agency this summer after he parlayed back-to-back stat-laden campaigns in head coach Mike Budenholzer's system into a lucrative four-year deal with the Raptors. With his role up for grabs, holdovers such as Bazemore and Thabo Sefolosha were considered the primary in-house options, as funds were directed elsewhere to re-up Paul Millsap and add Tiago Splitter via trade. Working in Bazemore's favor was Sefolosha's rehab from a broken fibula suffered last April, which extended into the current campaign in the form of only one appearance in back-to-back sets. It didn't hurt that Bazemore boasted a repertoire similar to Carroll's, namely an untested three-point shot and some defensive chops. After inconsistent results in the season's first two games, Bazemore burst onto the scene with 19 points, including four treys, on Oct. 30 and has yet to look back.

Tossing aside the aforementioned clunkers, he's been an end-to-end menace on the court, averaging 14.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.4 steals, 2.1 three-pointers, and 0.7 blocks in 30 minutes per game over the last seven outings. While that's a fine facsimile of Carroll, the term "sample size" may be exchanged between skeptical audiences, internet and otherwise, for the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, such a line is undeniably helpful in any fantasy format, and he remains available in far too many ESPN leagues (40 percent, to be exact).

Doug McDermott (SF)
Head coach Fred Hoiberg hasn't been opposed to amending the rotation early in his stint with the Bulls, who will be without Mike Dunleavy for some time as he continues his recovery from a Sept. 25 procedure on his lower back. Expected to miss 8-to-10 weeks, Dunleavy was pessimistic about that timeline, setting the stage for one of the reserve wings to move into the starting lineup. Tony Snell was given the first opportunity, and while he was steady, McDermott's consistently true stroke from beyond the arc culminated in five three-pointers made in a 17-point outing last Tuesday at Charlotte. Wasting little time, Hoiberg swapped Snell for McDermott in the Bulls' next tilt Thursday and has stuck to his guns. McDermott has yet to disappoint, knocking down multiple three-pointers in six of eight games this season, but his workload (21 minutes per game) and skill set indicate that his sole contribution to fantasy endeavors will be through continued success from three-point land.

Others – Zaza Pachulia (C) ; T.J. McConnell (PG) ; Jerryd Bayless( PG) ; Dewayne Dedmon (C)

Check Status

Nikola Mirotic (PF/SF)
Outside of the Snell-McDermott quandary in Chicago, Hoiberg had remained steadfast with the remaining starters, though three uninspiring performances in a row from Mirotic almost upended the status quo Monday. The Bulls were on the verge of replacing Mirotic with veteran Joakim Noah at power forward, but a bout with knee discomfort delayed the move. While the development may not have influenced Mirotic's mind, he channeled his outbursts from the season's opening week, finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.

Overall, the recent slump has placed a shroud over which Mirotic to expect from night to night, as the good (2.1 three-pointers made per game and 86 percent from the foul line) is arguably outweighed by the bad (2.6 turnovers in 26 minutes per game) and the ugly (39 percent shooting from the field), depending on the format. Because he's proven to be an across-the-board threat – he averaged 20.8 points (on 44 percent shooting), 7.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.7 treys, 1.2 blocks and 0.8 steals in 31 minutes per game in 15 contests last March – owners should stay the course with Mirotic for the time being.

Marcus Thornton (SG)
The Rockets were blown out of the water to start the season by losing their first three, but the final contest of that run doubled as Thornton's debut with the team. After firing away during the preseason, had coach Kevin McHale may have known what he had in Thornton, but the wing's move into the starting lineup has conjured four consecutive wins. Employing a three-guard lineup and just enough defense, Thornton has epitomized Houston's run-and-gun mentality, putting up 14-to-16 shots in each the past five outings on his way to averaging 16.6 points (on 45 percent shooting), 4.6 rebounds, 3.0 three-pointers, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 35 minutes per game. The career 36-percent three-point shooter may not be able to uphold his present mark of 41 percent from deep, but at the very least the volume afforded him (7.4 treys per contest) should help him remain steady in the scoring categories. Thornton does face one looming threat to revitalized status: the return of Terrence Jones (eye), which could occur as early as Wednesday against the Nets. If McHale opts for a more traditional lineup with Jones at the four, Thornton could very well be the odd man out.

Others – Louis Williams (PG/SG) ; Jeremy Lin (PG/SG) ; Will Barton (SG) ; Meyers Leonard (C/PF) ; Nemanja Bjelica (SF) ; Clint Capela (C)

Stock Down

Kobe Bryant (SG)
Make no mistake, Bryant can still pour it in in his 20th season, but a majority of his field goal attempts have not found the bottom of the net (minus airballs, of course). He's shooting an unsightly 32 percent from the floor and 21 percent from three-point range after six games, clips that are few and far between if the logs from 1,286 career contests are laid end-to-end. Bryant may be taking more time than usual to acclimate to the regular season, especially after missing much of the preseason due to a contusion on his lower left leg. Fortunately (or regrettably, depending on the point of view) for the 37-year-old, he has past teammate and current Lakers head coach Byron Scott on his side, assuring that Bryant will earn as much run as he can handle.

Following a sequence of seasons torn apart by injuries, such a mindset seems to be a recipe for disaster, but Bryant so far ranks second on the team with 29 minutes per game. The risks are clear for interested parties, with scant reward on the back end, as he embarks on what could be a dreadful swan song for one of the top 10 players in NBA history.

D'Angelo Russell (PG)
Bryant's quest to play all 82 regular season games is hindering the development of Russell, the skilled point guard selected second overall in the 2015 draft. There's logic in easing a rookie into the league – he's not ready for the bright lights, an expanded role could hinder playoff hopes, depth exists at his position – but only the latter is a credible argument with Russell due to the presence of Bryant, Jordan Clarkson and Louis Williams on the roster. Because Bryant has logged 91 percent of his minutes at small forward, though, the breakdown of work at the one and two should equate to more than 25 minutes per night for Russell. At least Russell is acquitting himself well in limited run, showing off at least one of his gifts each outing, but the entire picture hasn't coalesced through six games. Adjusting for a full complement of minutes, he possesses respectable per-36 averages of 13.6 points (on 40 percent shooting), 4.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.7 three-pointers. However, under Scott's rule, a Spurs-esque rotation has taken hold, with only Clarkson playing more than 30 minutes per game, thereby containing Russell to 9.3 points on 9.5 shot attempts and 2.3 dimes nightly to begin his career. Considering it's the Kobe and Byron show in LA, the potential exists for Russell to be further marginalized.

Others – Markieff Morris (PF/SF) ; David Lee (PF) ; Gorgui Dieng (C/PF) ; P.J. Tucker (SG/SF) ; Ersan Ilyasova (PF)