2017-18 NBA Awards Watch: Final picks for MVP, ROY and more

Rookie of the Year: Ben Simmons

Final ballot:

1. Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers)
2. Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz)
3. Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)

With all due respect to a promising, deep and TALENTED rookie class that includes Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson, Kyle Kuzma, Lauri Markkanen, Dennis Smith Jr., Bogdan Bogdanovic, John Collins, Jarrett Allen, Milos Teodosic, De’Aaron Fox, Jonathan Isaac, Frank Ntilikina, Bam Adebayo and so many others, Rookie of the Year is a two-horse race.

Jayson Tatum gets the nod at No. 3 over guys like Kuzma and Markkanen for his solid numbers for a vastly superior Celtics team compared to the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls, but this is really about Ben Simmons vs. Donovan Mitchell.

One is the second-best player on a Sixers team that won 51 games, claimed the 3-seed in the East and managed to lead the way when Joel Embiid went down late, helping Philly close the season on a 16-game winning streak (with Embiid missing the last eight games).

The other is the second-best player on a Jazz squad that won 48 games, claimed the 5-seed in the more difficult West and managed to become the first rookie to lead a playoff team in scoring since 2004.

The former averaged an astonishing 15.8 points, 8.2 assists, 8.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game on 54.7 percent shooting without a perimeter jump shot to speak of. That is special in and of itself, but then you have to factor in his 12 triple-doubles (third-most in the league this year and second-most by a rookie in NBA history, trailing only Oscar Robertson).

The latter averaged an eye-popping 20.5 points, 3.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds on 43.7 percent shooting from the field and 34 percent shooting from downtown. That is also remarkable, even before recalling how he set the record for the most 3-pointers made by a rookie in NBA history.

One is helping a once-dejected fanbase see the light of the Process. One is helping a recently forlorn fanbase get over the free agency departure of Gordon Hayward. Both are capable, impressive defenders for top-three defenses in the NBA. These things all matter.

However, the edge has to go to Simmons here, especially when so many cases being made for Mitchell start with the ultra lame “He’s not technically a rookie!” bologna. (If a player didn’t play a single game their rookie year, they didn’t have a rookie season. It’s as simple as that.)

Simmons is the more efficient player, the (slightly) better defender, a Magic Johnson-esque point forward for a 51-win team and one of the league’s top assist men — regardless of experience level.

Mitchell is an explosive scorer and looks like a terrifying Damian Lillard–Dwyane Wade hybrid for the future, but he’s not particularly efficient yet, he doesn’t contribute much outside the scoring column and Utah’s midseason turnaround was fueled more by Rudy Gobert‘s return and a galvanized defense than Mitchell leading the team’s offense.

You could argue that Embiid is the Sixers’ best player, but as we saw when Gobert was out, the Jazz’s best player is just as intrinsic to his team’s success as the Process is to Philly’s. Neither rookie would be as successful without his anchor in the middle, and it’s worth mentioning that Simmons has been producing at this high level since day one.

The emotion of taking Hayward’s place or the logic of whatever someone thinks a rookie is don’t factor in as heavily outside of Salt Lake City. Based on Simmons’ triple-double feats, his more well-rounded production and his slight edge in team success, he gets the nod as the Rookie of the Year frontrunner.