In the final weeks before the All-Star break, the midseason mark is almost upon us. While every rookie under the sun has struggled at some point this season, Damian Lillard has remained invincible. Anthony Davis wasn’t able to shake injury. Bradley Beal has let the injury bug catch up with him as well, and Dion Waiters lost his starting spot at times. It’s never easy in the world of an NBA rookie, but Damian Lillard really couldn’t make it look anymore easy. With the Rising Star Challenge at All-Star Weeekend right around the corner, we’ve heard which rookies will make the cut. But if I had to pick today, these would’ve been my guys: Damian Lillard

Bradley Beal

Anthony Davis

Dion Waiters

Andre Drummond

Alexey Shved

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Harrison Barnes

Kyle Singler With Jared Sullinger out for the remainder of the season with a back injury, I had to go a different direction. Sure, it would’ve been nice to see Austin Rivers or Terrence Ross in the game, but with the other eight guys being locks for me, I had to give the last spot to Kyle Singler. With that, here are our rankings for the NBA Rookie of the Year in the sixth volume of the Dime Rookie Ladder. *** *** *** 10. TERRENCE ROSS â€“ Last week: 5.0 ppg, 1.7 apg, 2.0rpg, 18.2 mpg

Vol. 5 rank: UR

With the recent blockbuster trade that brought Rudy Gay to Toronto, it’s clear to see that the Raptors are shaping up for a nice future. Ross will be a big part of that. Although they had to part ways with a promising young forward in Ed Davis, they received a great piece to build around with Gay. While DeMar DeRozan and Gay will likely be the starting wings for the Raptors for the foreseeable future, Ross could grow into one of those J.R. Smith-type roles. Although his numbers don’t necessarily jump out at you, Ross has shown flashes of his potential this season. He’s an athletic guard who can shoot the ball well. His offensive game is very raw, but once he comes into his own, Terrence Ross will be a familiar name when this rookie class gets brought up down the road.

9. TYLER ZELLER â€“ Last week: 8.3 ppg, 2.0 apg, 4.3 rpg, 25.6 mpg

Vol. 5 rank: UR

Tyler Zeller has done a great job holding it down for the Cavaliers in the absence of Anderson Varejao who was certainly on pace for an All-Star year had he stayed healthy. Although filling that void isn’t exactly an easy task, Zeller has done a pretty decent job. He averaged 8.8 points and 7.8 rebounds in January, and even had a pair of double-doubles. Although he has a ways to go offensively in terms of expanding his game with post moves and extending his range, he has the ability to finish well around the basket with his tremendous touch. The only issue with Zeller is he isn’t physical enough down low. At 7-0 and 250 pounds, Zeller should really be averaging more than 6.1 rebounds a game. Although he has the size, he lacks the athleticism and it definitely doesn’t help that he often positions himself poorly under the basket. He’s getting starters minutes now, and at that size he should be producing at a higher clip than he’s been performing at. An impressive 16-point performance against David Lee and the Warriors allows Zeller to climb onto this Ladder this time around, but unless he can pick up those rebounding numbers, he won’t be sticking around for much longer. 8. KYLE SINGLER â€“ Last week: 11.6 ppg, 1.0 apg, 4.6 rpg, 30.8 mpg

Vol. 5 rank: UR

Kyle Singler was a fixture on the rookie ladder in the beginning weeks of the season. He surprised many with his consistent play out the gate and got off to a good start, but not every rookie can be lucky enough not to hit that rookie wall. Singler hit a cold streak in the middle of December that he wouldn’t shake until the middle of last month, so he found himself falling off the ladder. However, he’s been able to work his way back on to the ladder by finding a rhythm these past two weeks. He scored in double-digits in six of his last 10 games, including a career-high 20 points against Cleveland on Friday. Throughout that stretch, he’s proven that he can score if given the opportunity. He’s played big minutes all season for Detroit and has been looking more and more comfortable on the court. 7. ALEXEY SHVED â€“ Last week: 14.0 ppg, 5.6 apg, 3.3rpg, 24.3 mpg

Vol. 5 rank: 6

Shved made his return last week against the Clippers after missing five games with a sprained ankle. He’s played well since his then, proving that he can score and distribute the ball as well. He’s also shown that he’s not going to waste time playing timid basketball. He was 5-for-11 from deep against the Lakers on Friday, scoring 18 points while dishing out six assists and grabbing four rebounds. Shved has been one of the more consistent rookies all season. If he can pick up where he left off and get back to playing the way he was doing before his injury, he’ll continue to move up the ladder. 6. HARRISON BARNES â€“ Last week: 15.6 ppg, 2.6 apg, 5.6 rpg, 34.6 mpg

Vol. 5 rank: 7

Barnes has finally gotten back to playing to his potential. After a seven-game stretch without cracking double-figures, he’s played well in his last three games. Against Phoenix on Saturday, Barnes had 21 points on 9-for-11 shooting, and eight rebounds. The most notable part about that game was he didn’t take a single three-point attempt. If Barnes can continue to play aggressively inside the arc, he’ll see more minutes at the four spot for the Warriors. After losing some of his minutes to Jarrett Jack for most of the season, Barnes has found a new role for the Warriors. He’s shown he has a lot to offer in many different aspects. While he may not be the best shooter or the best rebounder on the team, he can do both pretty well. He’s also coming along defensively. At his size, he can take on some of the more challenging matchups for Golden State and really make Klay Thompson‘s life easier.