Memphis
Grizzlies

This midseason stretch was defined by Jaren Jackson Jr. morphing into a two-way wrecking ball who learned to dominate the margins. Look no further than his 01/30 vs NOP performance, where he bricked his way to 16 points on a brutal 6-for-19 from the floor. He still generated a massive +11.0 Impact score in that contest because his relentless defensive rotations and nine crucial rebounds entirely controlled the paint. Conversely, the 01/22 vs ATL outing reveals the hidden costs of passive play. Despite scoring an efficient 17 points on 6-for-12 shooting, Jackson posted a dismal -6.5 Impact score due to sluggish rim protection and empty-calorie offensive production. When everything clicked, he was terrifying. During the 02/02 vs MIN matchup, Jackson erupted for 30 points and six boards, earning a staggering +18.9 Impact score by bullying defenders inside and hitting timely threes.

Santi Aldama spent this midseason stretch navigating a jarring identity crisis, bouncing between a flamethrowing starter and a volatile bench piece. He opened the run looking like an absolute star on 12/24 vs UTA, erupting for 37 points and seven made threes to drive a massive +25.7 Impact. A demotion to the second unit a week later revealed the hidden costs in his game. During his 12/31 vs PHI appearance, Aldama scored an efficient 15 points but still posted a -6.0 Impact, as poor defensive rotations and empty minutes dragged down his overall value. He could also flip that script. On 01/05 vs LAL, Aldama shot a miserable 4-for-13 from the field but salvaged a +4.1 Impact by grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out seven assists to keep the offense flowing. It was a fascinating run from a forward who can single-handedly win a shootout but requires constant lineup tinkering to maximize his unique skill set.

Cedric Coward's mid-season stretch was a tale of two extremes, shifting violently from a miserable winter slump to an explosive spring awakening. Early on, he was putting up empty calories and jacking up bad shots that actively hurt the team. Look at the 03/07 vs LAC matchup, where he managed 15 points but posted a dismal -5.2 Impact because he bricked six of his eight three-point attempts and stalled the offense. Just three days later, he flipped the script entirely during the 03/10 vs PHI game. Despite a modest 13 points, he registered a massive +9.5 Impact by ripping down 16 rebounds and doing the dirty work on the glass to generate extra possessions. That gritty performance seemed to unlock his confidence. By the time the 04/08 vs DEN game rolled around, Coward was an absolute wrecking ball, pouring in 27 points on blazing 10-for-17 shooting to earn a staggering +27.7 Impact. He finally figured out how to blend relentless hustle with lethal, efficient shot selection.

Jock Landale's late-season stretch was defined by maddening inconsistency, oscillating violently between highly efficient bursts and completely invisible shifts off the bench. When his touch vanished, he became an active detriment to the second unit. Look no further than his disastrous outing on 03/10 vs DAL, where a brutal 0-for-5 shooting night and a total lack of offensive production resulted in a staggering -14.6 impact score. Even when he managed double-digit scoring, hidden costs often dragged him down. On 03/23 vs MEM, his 11 points were entirely neutralized by poor perimeter execution—he bricked three of his four attempts from deep—leaving him with a -3.7 impact. Yet, a sudden promotion to the starting lineup unlocked his absolute best basketball. Given 34 minutes on 03/28 vs SAC, Landale erupted for 19 points and 13 rebounds, dominating the glass to post a massive +16.7 impact score.

This six-game stretch captured Ja Morant evolving into a master manipulator of defenses. He seamlessly blended high-volume distribution with sudden, lethal scoring bursts. Even when his jumper completely abandoned him on 01/03 vs LAL, he still dictated the terms of engagement. Despite shooting a miserable 7-of-18 from the floor in that contest, Morant salvaged a +2.1 impact score by operating as a pure facilitator to tally 11 assists while creating extra possessions through sheer hustle. But when he actively hunts his own offense, the results remain terrifying. Look no further than his New Year's Eve masterclass on 12/31 vs PHI, where he torched the defense for 40 points on a blistering 16-of-22 from the field. That ruthless interior finishing and pristine shot selection drove a massive +27.7 impact rating. He eventually found the perfect equilibrium on 01/18 vs ORL, carving up the defense for 24 points and 13 assists on highly efficient shooting to post a stellar +16.5 impact score.

Cam Spencer spent this stretch of the season as the ultimate wildcard, oscillating wildly between lethal perimeter sniper and complete offensive zero. When his jumper was falling, he was unstoppable, dropping 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting to post a staggering +21.8 Impact during the 02/27 vs DAL matchup. Yet those peaks were matched by agonizing valleys, like his completely invisible 0-for-5 shooting night on 02/21 vs MIA that resulted in a brutal -13.9 Impact score. Without his outside shot falling to stretch the floor, his lack of physical burst made him a liability who simply clogged the half-court offense. Even when he shifted his focus to pure playmaking, the underlying numbers rarely forgave his flaws. On 04/06 vs CLE, Spencer dished out nine assists and hit 3-of-5 shots, but still dragged the team down with a -7.2 Impact. That negative score despite the slick passing reveals the hidden costs of his game, as severe defensive lapses against quicker guards erased every single point he generated.

This late-season stretch was defined by erratic shot volume where GG Jackson's actual on-court value fluctuated wildly from night to night. He found ways to contribute without dominating the ball on 03/03 vs MIN. Despite scoring a modest 12 points, he posted a strong +7.8 Impact score. He earned that mark through relentless glass-cleaning, grabbing 11 rebounds and playing strictly within the flow of the offense on hyper-efficient 4-for-5 shooting. Conversely, his offensive tunnel vision actively hurt the team on 03/09 vs BKN. Even though he tallied 18 points, he registered a dismal -4.1 Impact score because he hijacked possessions and forced bad looks, clanking his way to an 8-for-21 shooting performance. When he actually balances his aggression with accuracy, he looks like a star. He torched the defense on 04/03 vs TOR for 30 points on crisp 10-for-16 shooting, generating a massive +18.9 Impact score by simply taking the open looks rather than forcing contested jumpers.

A sudden, explosive offensive awakening defined Olivier-Maxence Prosper's mid-season stretch as a starter. He gradually learned how to affect winning even when his jumper betrayed him. On 03/21 vs CHA, Prosper managed just 10 points on a shaky 3-of-8 from the floor, yet still churned out a +6.2 Impact by relentlessly crashing the glass for seven rebounds and executing the dirty work. When his shot actually fell, he was an absolute revelation. Everything clicked perfectly on 03/28 vs HOU. He erupted for 31 points on a blistering 12-of-15 from the field, posting a monstrous +31.4 Impact driven by flawless shot selection and punishing offensive efficiency. Still, he occasionally slipped into empty-calorie traps. During the 04/05 vs MIL matchup, Prosper poured in 13 points in just 14 minutes but dragged his team down with a -2.5 Impact, a direct result of forcing bad looks from beyond the arc and missing critical defensive assignments.

This stretch was a volatile rollercoaster defined by an awkward transition from hyper-efficient bench sparkplug to an overwhelmed starter. Operating as a reserve early on, he torched second units with ruthless shot-making, highlighted by a +16.3 Impact on 03/07 vs LAC where he dropped 18 points on nearly perfect 7-for-8 shooting. Even when his jumper completely abandoned him, he occasionally found ways to tilt the floor. During the 03/18 vs DEN matchup, Hendricks bricked his way to a brutal 1-for-10 mark from deep, yet still generated a +6.0 Impact because his relentless defensive rotations and loose-ball hustle kept the rotation afloat. However, his late-March promotion to the starting lineup exposed glaring offensive limitations. On 03/25 vs SAS, his inability to hit open looks resulted in a dismal -16.8 Impact, as he managed just two points on 1-for-7 shooting while actively hurting the team's half-court spacing. He clearly possesses the raw athletic tools to survive in the league, but his wildly inconsistent offensive diet makes him a frustrating puzzle to solve.

Extreme volatility defined Jaylen Wells's midseason stretch, as he alternated between scorching offensive outbursts and deeply damaging shooting slumps. When his jumper was falling, he looked like an elite weapon. He torched the nets on 02/21 vs MIA, pouring in 25 points on 10-for-13 shooting to generate a massive +14.5 Impact score. Yet, his point totals occasionally masked hidden offensive costs. Despite a solid 15-point scoring night on 01/31 vs MIN, he dragged the team down with a -2.5 Impact because he needed 13 field goal attempts to get there, taking poor shots that stalled the offense. By the end of March, the bottom completely fell out. During an ugly outing on 03/21 vs CHA, Wells forced wild perimeter looks to finish 3-for-12 from the floor, resulting in a brutal -7.3 Impact that actively hurt the starting lineup.

Kyle Anderson’s mid-spring stretch was defined by a brutal, invisible slump off the bench that only briefly vanished when he was thrust into the starting lineup. Operating as a reserve, his complete lack of scoring gravity frequently stalled the offense. This passive play bottomed out on 03/30 vs DAL, where he posted a disastrous -11.4 impact after failing to score a single point, bleeding value as defenders simply ignored his 0-for-2 shooting. He occasionally managed to salvage his minutes through sheer rebounding and dirty work, posting a +5.4 impact on 04/02 vs DET despite scoring just 2 points. A sudden promotion changed everything. Given the keys to operate as a primary offensive hub on 04/10 vs HOU, Anderson racked up 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists. He generated a massive +11.8 impact in that start by picking apart the defense with surgical passing and efficient 7-of-12 shooting.

Javon Small spent this late-season stretch oscillating between the starting lineup and the bench, ultimately finding his most lethal rhythm as an unpredictable sparkplug. His absolute peak arrived off the pine on 03/13 vs DET. In just 23 minutes, the guard erupted for 23 points. Blistering shooting efficiency—hitting 6 of 9 from the floor and 4 of 6 from deep—fueled a staggering +23.1 impact score. Yet, Small's effectiveness could easily plummet even when his basic counting stats looked perfectly respectable. On 03/10 vs PHI, he tallied 12 points and 7 assists but posted a -3.3 impact, dragged into the negative by empty-calorie possessions and hidden defensive lapses. Conversely, he occasionally found ways to contribute when his shot selection completely abandoned him. On 04/12 vs HOU, Small hoisted an ugly 19 shots to score just 18 points, but his relentless perimeter defense and gritty hustle plays salvaged a positive +3.6 impact.

Rayan Rupert’s late-season stretch was a chaotic roller coaster, morphing him from an invisible bench warmer into an erratic, high-usage focal point. Look no further than his start in the 03/23 vs ATL matchup, where 30 empty minutes of scoreless basketball and poor defensive resistance doomed him to an abysmal -22.0 Impact score. Yet, he looked like a completely different player during the 04/05 vs MIL contest. He exploded for 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, generating a massive +28.9 Impact by crashing the glass and orchestrating the offense flawlessly. The pendulum swung back quickly during the 04/10 vs UTA game. Despite grabbing 12 boards and scoring 16 points, his night resulted in a disappointing -2.9 Impact. The hidden cost of that raw production was truly atrocious shot selection, as he hijacked the floor to clank his way to a 7-for-25 shooting performance.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope spent the middle of the winter trapped in a miserable offensive slump that actively harmed his team's rotation. His shot completely evaporated on 01/15 vs ORL, where he went scoreless on 0-for-4 shooting to post a catastrophic -20.0 Impact score. When a perimeter specialist cannot hit open looks, his value plummets. He laid a massive brick against the Pelicans on 01/24 vs NOP, missing all six of his three-point attempts en route to a dismal -11.8 Impact. Even when he managed to score at a higher volume, the underlying costs were steep. During his lone start on 02/07 vs POR, he tallied 11 points but needed 14 shots to get there, resulting in a -7.8 Impact because his highly inefficient gunning stalled the offense. Instead of acting as a reliable veteran presence, Caldwell-Pope spent this stretch as an outright liability.

John Konchar's late-season stretch was defined by a bizarre transformation from an offensive ghost into an absolutely essential, rebounding-obsessed glue guy. This run was a stark contrast to his brutal early March slump, highlighted by a dismal -10.9 Impact on 03/04 vs PHI where his total refusal to attack yielded zero points and stalled the entire offense. He quickly realized he could swing games without scoring. Konchar generated a +3.6 Impact on 03/09 vs GSW despite logging just two points, finding massive non-scoring value through relentless hustle and ten crucial rebounds. When he actually looked for his shot, the results were devastatingly efficient. He scorched the nets for 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting to post a +15.8 Impact on 03/28 vs DEN. By April, Konchar had morphed into a wildly unconventional weapon, ignoring his own scoring column to terrorize opponents with brilliant passing and sheer effort on the glass.

This mid-season stretch was defined by erratic shooting and a desperate struggle to consistently generate positive value off the bench. Look at the 01/27 vs HOU matchup. Vince Williams Jr. hoisted a dismal 3-for-15 from the field. Yet, he scraped together a relatively mild -2.2 Impact score because he crashed the glass for 8 rebounds and kept the offense moving with 5 assists. Conversely, on 01/30 vs NOP, he dropped 13 points but registered a -5.1 Impact. The hidden costs of his game—poor defensive rotations and empty possession metrics—dragged down his overall value despite the double-digit scoring effort. He briefly found his rhythm on 02/02 vs MIN, drilling four three-pointers en route to 16 points and a stellar +7.1 Impact score. Unfortunately, that sharp perimeter shooting vanished almost immediately.

Complete offensive ineptitude defined Christian Koloko's late-season stretch. He was an absolute black hole. The big man looked utterly lost during a scoreless 16-minute shift on 01/31 vs IND. Clanking all three of his field goal attempts without registering a single assist dragged his Impact score down to a brutal -15.5. Even when given a rare starting nod on 02/03 vs MIA, he managed just two points on 0-for-3 shooting, earning a -14.0 Impact because his inability to hit shots completely crippled the team's floor spacing. Koloko finally saw extended run again on 04/12 vs MIA, grabbing eight rebounds in 21 minutes. Yet, his atrocious 1-for-5 shooting mark—which included two ill-advised misses from beyond the arc—produced another dismal -14.4 Impact. You simply cannot survive in the modern NBA when your mere presence routinely kills the offense.

A brutal offensive slump marred by empty-calorie playmaking defined this ten-game stretch for Jahmai Mashack. He briefly broke out of his shooting funk on 03/29 vs CHI, scoring 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting to post a +3.6 impact score. That efficient night was a total anomaly. When thrust into the starting lineup later in April, his massive counting stats completely masked a disastrous on-court reality. During a marathon 48-minute outing on 04/10 vs UTA, Mashack racked up a gaudy 13 points, 15 rebounds, and 14 assists. Despite that eye-popping triple-double, he registered an abysmal -19.5 impact score because his mediocre 6-of-13 shooting and the hidden costs of his ball-dominance dragged the offense into the mud. He followed a similar hollow-stat script on 04/12 vs HOU, logging 11 assists but posting a -15.0 impact score due to a dreadful 2-of-9 showing from deep. Mashack is getting the minutes, but his underlying metrics scream that his current approach is actively hurting the team.

Walter Clayton Jr.'s late-season stretch was defined by chronic shooting slumps and an inability to translate raw counting stats into actual winning basketball. Even when his scoring totals looked respectable, hidden costs dragged him down. He dropped 16 points on 03/23 vs ATL, but his shot selection was atrocious; he chucked up 12 three-point attempts and shot 4-for-13 overall, bleeding value to post a -3.9 Impact score. Conversely, he found ways to stay afloat when he leaned into pure facilitation rather than forcing his jumper. During a spot start on 03/01 vs IND, Clayton managed just 7 points but eked out a +0.3 Impact score by shifting his focus to distribution, dishing out a massive 14 assists to keep the offense humming. Too often, though, his offensive misfires completely derailed his minutes. His absolute nadir arrived on 03/07 vs LAC, where an empty stat line and a miserable 1-for-5 shooting display culminated in a catastrophic -22.5 Impact score.