To keep tabs on this season's rookie class, we've been showcasing the NBA Rookie Ladder presented by Juicy Fruit throughout the season.
Rather than taking a season-long approach, however, our rankings are based on who has performed the best over the most recent two-week period. We want to open opportunities for other first-year players to shine.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the five rookies who have impressed the most since Jan. 7.
1. Luka Doncic, G/F, Dallas Mavericks
Stats since Jan. 7: 22.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game
Luka Doncic is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. After scoring 27 points in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 7, he rattled off four consecutive 20-point games, starting with a 30-point night against the Phoenix Suns on January 9.
Doncic shot 8-for-14 from the field in that game and set a new career-high with 16 free throw attempts.
Doncic then put on a show in a matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves two days later, scoring 11 points in the fourth quarter and hitting the game-winning 3-pointer over Karl-Anthony Towns to give Dallas a much-needed road win. He finished the game with 29 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds.
The Mavericks have lost four straight since, but Doncic made some history in their loss to the Milwaukee Bucks by becoming the second-youngest player ever to record a triple-double in an NBA game. He also became only the second player in NBA history to post a triple-double as a teenager, joining Philadelphia 76ers guard Markelle Fultz.
With how well he's been playing this season, Doncic has given the media and players a lot to think about when it comes to his All-Star candidacy.
2. Kevin Huerter, G, Atlanta Hawks
Stats since Jan. 7: 17.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game
Trae Young wasn't the only player the Hawks selected in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft. With the 19th pick, the franchise drafted Kevin Huerter out of the University of Maryland.
Hawks GM Travis Schlenk rose through the ranks of the Golden State Warriors' front office so when he opted for Young and Huerter, many could see that perhaps Atlanta was swinging for the fences in an effort to create Splash Brothers East with Huerter playing the part of Klay Thompson.
Huerter started the season coming off the bench for the Hawks, but he was moved into the starting lineup permanently on Nov. 25. And with his recent string of games, he's been putting his long-term potential on full display.
On January 11, Huerter scored a team-high 29 points in Atlanta's win over the Philadelphia 76ers. He did so efficiently in making 11 of his 17 field goal attempts and five of his eight 3-point attempts, a couple coming off the dribble.
While he didn't come close to reaching that point total against the Bucks, Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics, Huerter put up at least 10 points in each of those contests, extending his streak of double figures scoring to nine games — and counting.
Huerter tied his season-high of seven assists in the team's loss to Boston as well. A knockdown shooter and a capable secondary playmaker, Huerter is emerging as the perfect complement to Young and John Collins, Atlanta's one-two punch of the future.
3. Trae Young, G, Atlanta Hawks
Stats since Jan. 7: 20.1 points, 6.3 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game
Speaking of Young, he's been far more consistent in the month of January.
After being held to five points in his first game of 2019, Young has scored 15-plus points in eight of his nine games since.
He was fantastic in Atlanta's impressive win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, as he went toe-to-toe with Russell Westbrook to the tune of 24 points, 11 assists and six rebounds. Young came up big a couple of days earlier with 26 points and a career-high10 rebounds in a loss to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, and he scored 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting in Monday's loss to the Orlando Magic.
Young has now scored 20 points in 12 games this season, putting him only two games behind Deandre Ayton for the second-most in this rookie class. He's also dished out 10-plus assists in 13 games, which is more than any other rookie by a large margin.
4. Landry Shamet, G, Philadelphia 76ers
Stats since Jan. 7: 11.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.4 steals per game
Shamet finds himself in the No. 4 spot thanks to a couple of standout performances over the last couple of weeks.
First, Shamet scored a career-high 29 points on 8-for-14 shooting from 3-point range in a win over the Washington Wizards. Second — and more recently — the 26th overall pick gave the 76ers a boost off the bench in their win over James Harden and the Houston Rockets with 18 points in only 20 minutes of action.
Shamet is now averaging 8.3 points per game on 40.1 percent shooting from the perimeter this season. Luka Doncic is the only rookie to have made more total 3-pointers, and yet nobody from this class makes more 3s on a per 36 minute basis than Shamet.
5. Kevin Knox, F, New York Knicks
Stats since Jan. 7: 14.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.4 steals per game
Knox has struggled with efficiency over the last couple of weeks, but he continues to give us glimpses of the player he could become, this time by lighting the 76ers up with a career-high 31 points.
Knox showed off his entire toolkit in the game, pulling up for floaters and midrange jumpers, driving hard to the basket in the half court and transition, and hitting a couple of smooth catch-and-shoot 3s — plus one step back triple on Joel Embiid in the final seconds of the game that was just mean.
It wasn't enough for the Knicks to get the win, but New York outscored Philadelphia by 11 points in Knox's 43 minutes on the court, giving him the second-highest plus/minus on the team.
Knicks head coach David Fizdale had nothing but praise for the rookie after the game, particularly when it came to his performance in the second half, when he scored 18 of his 31 points.
“We’ve been trying to build his tank up to be this guy that can play big minutes and really perform throughout the game,” Fizdale told Newsday. “I thought tonight was the first time in the second half that he didn’t fade when he started off with a double-figure first half. That’s a big step for him as a scorer and understanding how to carry that load.”
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