2017-18 NBA Rookie of the Year ladder: Week 15 power rankings

The new year has given this year’s rookie class new life as the NBA Rookie of the Year ladder returns from a three-week hiatus.

The 2017-18 NBA season is four months in and rookies continue to impress. In some cases, they’ve stepped up in a big way.

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (Eastern Conference) and Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (Western Conference) were recently awarded the Rookie of the Month Award for their performances in the month of December. While many believe Philadelphia 76ers point-forward Ben Simmons is head and shoulders above the rest, he’s still got to prove himself with his on-court production.

January has already brought about some interesting results for the rookies. With roughly a week or so left in the month, Mitchell and Simmons continue to battle it out for top scorer. Mitchell is putting up 22.7 points per game for the month, while Simmons is averaging just 14.7 points per contest.

Chicago Bulls big man Lauri Markkanen is January’s current leader in rebounds per game among the rookies at 8.5 per contest, while Los Angeles Lakers rookie point guard Lonzo Ball is the current leader in assists (7.0 per game) and steals (2.6 per game).

The season continues to be an entertaining one for this year’s rookie class. Here we take a look at this week’s top 10 power rankings.