By this point of the year, teams around the NBA have a good idea if they are battling for playoff positioning or pingpong balls as the season begins to wind down.
With more clarity on their prospective paths, some organizations have started to prioritize the development of rookies and other younger players. As a result, several rookies have emerged with strong performances in their expanded roles.
To make sense of it all, we took a look at the best recent performances of these first-year players and ranked them in the latest edition of the Rookie Wire Power Rankings. The rankings are not for Rookie of the Year purposes but, rather, to illustrate the best players week to week.