NBA Rookie Ladder: “New Year, New Me”

Happy New Year! The FanSided Rookie Ladder is back with a vengeance for 2018 –not really, but it sounds cool. Last week we brought you NBA Draft themed-resolutions based off how the class of 2017 rookies were impacting the NBA. However, those are being left in 2017 for now.

Resolutions are great and they are part of the driving force behind one of the most used phrases in the entirety of the English language, “New Year, New Me”. For the uninitiated, the saying basically stipulates that because of the calendar year changing that a person gets the opportunity to start anew and refresh themselves.

With that in mind, this week we focus on five rookies that personify the “New Year, New Me” persona. We’re less than a week into 2018 so there haven’t been many games to cement the “new” versions of these rookies, but with some projecting taken into account it’s safe to assume that there will be some change –good or bad– for these five players in the new year.

Some players have seen their playing time rise, either due to improvements or injuries. Some players have seen their starting spots slip through the crack of their fingers. Some players are sidelined after having a promising start to the year. Finally, one player in particular looks to be on path to proving any doubters and naysayers wrong in the immediate future.

The regular season is a long grinding journey and there are all sort of unforeseen twists and turns that help drive the narrative that fans and media alike latch on to. Some of the players mentioned below could become a bigger part of the franchise if they are able to capitalize on their new roles as 2018 continues.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at some names that you should be on the look out for in 2018 and beyond.