This report breaks down NBA usage risers over the last 7 days, highlighting players stepping into larger offensive roles. We’re not chasing points – we’re looking at usage, minutes, and involvement to separate real role changes from short-term noise.
Some of these role changes were also shaped by short-term injury context and lineup availability, which can be tracked through the official NBA injury report.
NBA Usage Rate Changes: Key Weekly Shifts
Below are the most notable usage risers across the NBA over the last week, measured against each player’s full-season baseline.
| Player | Season USG | Last 7 USG | Δ USG | Season MPG | Last 7 MPG | Δ MPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooper Flagg (DAL) | 25.5 | 35.1 | +9.6 | 33.9 | 33.8 | -0.1 |
| GG Jackson (MEM) | 22.5 | 28.6 | +6.1 | 21.3 | 22.5 | +1.2 |
| Nolan Traore (BKN) | 21.8 | 27.3 | +5.5 | 22.3 | 26.7 | +4.4 |
| Jarrett Allen (CLE) | 19.3 | 24.7 | +5.4 | 27.4 | 22.3 | -5.0 |
| Coby White (CHA) | 27.9 | 33.0 | +5.1 | 26.0 | 18.8 | -7.2 |
| Kyle Filipowski (UTA) | 19.3 | 24.4 | +5.1 | 23.1 | 30.8 | +7.7 |
| Saddiq Bey (NOP) | 21.1 | 25.9 | +4.8 | 31.1 | 34.3 | +3.3 |
| Jrue Holiday (POR) | 22.4 | 26.6 | +4.2 | 28.9 | 36.0 | +7.1 |
| Kyle Kuzma (MIL) | 21.1 | 25.3 | +4.2 | 26.4 | 23.3 | -3.1 |
| Will Riley (WAS) | 18.9 | 22.6 | +3.7 | 20.6 | 35.0 | +14.4 |
Usage risers are based on last 7 days versus full-season baseline. Season table excludes players under 15 games played, and both datasets were filtered for players at 18+ MPG.
Usage Spikes
This section focuses on the most notable usage spikes from the last seven days. The goal is to isolate players seeing a real jump in offensive responsibility, while filtering out lower-minute noise.
Minute Shifts
Minute shifts can be one of the clearest early signs of a role change, especially when the jump is large enough to matter before full fantasy production catches up. This week’s biggest risers include both pure workload bumps and a few players whose extra floor time also came with more offensive responsibility, which is usually the stronger signal going forward.
Daniss Jenkins is also worth viewing through a team-specific lens. I broke down Detroit’s broader rotation and usage changes in my Pistons without Cade Cunningham analysis, where his workload shift shows up as part of the larger redistribution.
Assist Role (AST%) — Season vs Last 7
Assist rate shifts can reveal a different type of role change than pure scoring usage. This week, several players took on noticeably more creation responsibility, with Luka Dončić, Scottie Barnes, Kyle Kuzma, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Jalen Brunson standing out as the clearest playmaking risers relative to their season-long baseline.
| PLAYER | MPG (SZN) | MPG (L7) | AST% (SZN) | AST% (L7) | Δ AST% (PP) | Δ AST% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Dončić (LAL) | 36.0 | 30.0 | 43.0 | 61.3 | +18.3 | +43% |
| Scottie Barnes (TOR) | 33.9 | 29.5 | 27.1 | 45.0 | +17.9 | +66% |
| Kyle Kuzma (MIL) | 26.4 | 23.3 | 17.7 | 35.3 | +17.6 | +99% |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK) | 30.9 | 32.0 | 15.0 | 31.3 | +16.3 | +109% |
| Jalen Brunson (NYK) | 35.0 | 35.3 | 33.6 | 49.2 | +15.6 | +46% |
Brunson is especially interesting because his assist role rose while his usage actually dipped a bit. That’s a real “more creator, less pure scorer” signal.
Rebound Role (REB%) — Season vs Last 7
Rebound role changes can highlight players who are finishing more possessions, whether because of lineup shifts, extra size on the floor, or a broader role increase. Based strictly on the CSV comparison, this week’s biggest rebound risers were led by Tre Johnson, Matas Buzelis, Kristaps Porziņģis, Noah Clowney, Ayo Dosunmu, and Collin Sexton.
| PLAYER | MPG (SZN) | MPG (L7) | REB% (SZN) | REB% (L7) | Δ REB% (PP) | Δ REB% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tre Johnson (WAS) | 24.0 | 24.0 | 12.9 | 30.2 | +17.3 | +134% |
| Matas Buzelis (CHI) | 29.3 | 26.7 | 20.5 | 34.4 | +13.9 | +68% |
| Kristaps Porziņģis (GSW) | 23.9 | 25.5 | 22.0 | 35.7 | +13.7 | +62% |
| Noah Clowney (BKN) | 27.2 | 20.5 | 18.4 | 29.2 | +10.8 | +59% |
| Ayo Dosunmu (MIN) | 26.7 | 34.0 | 13.0 | 23.6 | +10.6 | +82% |
| Collin Sexton (CHI) | 23.0 | 28.2 | 9.3 | 17.7 | +8.4 | +90% |
Deep league risers
Deep league risers are often less about star-level production and more about subtle role growth that can become useful before the market fully reacts. This section focuses on lower-minute season-long players who saw the biggest recent workload or offensive role growth over the last seven days, helping surface the names that may be moving from fringe value into deeper-league relevance.
