The Portland Trail Blazers are still fighting for a play-in spot as they now find themselves just two games out of the ten seed thanks to an active three-game winning streak. The schedule has contributed to that, with their past three games coming against Toronto, Washington, and a Memphis team without Ja Morant.
But credit also needs to be given to the Blazers and Chauncey Billups, who has them playing arguably their best stretch of basketball this season. Portland's improved play is perfect timing, and it can be attributed mainly to a few particular players stepping up in a major way.
Riser: Deni Avdija
No Blazers players' stock has skyrocketed as much as Deni Avdija. He's having one of the best stretches of his career, averaging All-Star-level numbers in March with 22.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 5.4 assists on red-hot 47.8 percent three-point shooting.
Avdija is contributing in all aspects with his well-rounded game, whether it's his efficient shooting, ability to get to the charity stripe, playmaking, or defensive versatility. This trade already looked like a win for Portland at the beginning of the season, but that's becoming increasingly apparent with his play as of late.
Avdija is looking more comfortable in his new environment, and the Blazers are finally making him a focal point of the offense.
Riser: Duop Reath
Duop Reath's overall season has been disappointing relative to his surprising rookie year. Reath has been buried on the end of the bench for the majority of the season, averaging just 8.9 minutes. Lately, however, he's picked up the slack as Billups has had to rely on him to take on an increased role with both Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III out with injuries.
Reath has averaged 18.7 minutes in March and has taken advantage of the opportunity, providing value as a stretch five with 7.8 points on 33.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc. He's still not quite the same impactful player he was last season, but compared to where his stock was this year, Reath should be considered a riser.
Riser: Matisse Thybulle
Matisse Thybulle has finally returned after missing nearly a year of basketball due to knee and ankle injuries. He picked up right where he left off, boosting his stock in the process. In just his first game back against the Raptors, Thybulle quickly became the X-Factor. Not only did he catalyze a Blazers run that was the turning point in the game, but he also sealed the deal with a game-saving block.
Thybulle's addition is excellent timing for Portland as they look to make a play-in push, especially since wing depth has been an issue throughout the season. They are going to have to find more minutes for him going forward.
Faller: Dalano Banton
Dalano Banton played great to finish up the end of last season. The concern heading into this year was whether his playstyle would translate into a lessened role with Portland healthier since he needs the ball in his hands to be effective. He addressed those issues at the start of the season, averaging 11.6 points on 40 percent three-point shooting in December. But now, those concerns are coming back to haunt Banton, who is having his worst stretch of the season.
He's become virtually unplayable as an inefficient guard who doesn't provide much outside his microwave scoring. Banton is shooting just 26.3 percent from the field and 14.3 percent from deep in March, averaging 1.4 points in 10.3 minutes. It will be hard for Billups to trust him down the stretch.