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Against a field of Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum, Ben Simmons has been named the Rookie of the Year for the 2017-2018 NBA season.
Donovan Mitchell, and Jayson Tatum to a lesser extent with this being a regular season award, exhibited an immense amount of talent this season. Their play and maturity were impressive. And fans of the Utah Jazz and the Boston Celtics aren’t just grasping for potential or hope. Mitchell and Tatum backed up their play with lofty numbers, especially by rookie standards.
But it’s really pretty simple: Ben Simmons was better, by a number of statistical measures.
Simmons, Mitchell & Tatum
| Player | PTS | AST | REB | BLK | STL | TOV | USG | WS/48 | BPM | Net Rtg | RPM | PER | FG% | 3PT% | eFG% | TS% | Team Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | PTS | AST | REB | BLK | STL | TOV | USG | WS/48 | BPM | Net Rtg | RPM | PER | FG% | 3PT% | eFG% | TS% | Team Wins |
| Ben Simmons | 15.8 | 8.2 | 8.1 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 22.3 | 0.162 | 4.6 | 9 | 2.89 | 20 | 54.5 | 0 | 54.5 | 55.7 | 52 |
| Donovan Mitchell | 20.5 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 29.1 | 0.095 | 1.1 | -2 | 2.15 | 16.7 | 43.7 | 34 | 50.6 | 54.1 | 48 |
| Jayson Tatum | 13.9 | 1.6 | 5 | 0.7 | 1 | 1.4 | 19.5 | 0.139 | 1 | 8 | 2.92 | 15.3 | 47.5 | 43.4 | 53.8 | 58.6 | 55 |
“Dude can’t even shoot a 3!” Yes, and Ben still has a higher eFG% than Tatum and Mitchell, and only Tatum has a higher TS% than Simmons.
It was incredible season from Ben, and it many ways he outperformed the boldest expectations. Ben just didn’t look like a rookie on the court. He was able to control the pace of games; you just don’t see it out of rookies. And when Joel Embiid went down, Simmons kept the team playing at a high level, becoming the de facto on court leader.
I can no longer even engage with the “he’s not a real rookie” argument. It’s nonsensical; you don’t just change the rules so you can win the game.
Well deserved award for Ben after a hell of a season. The future is bright, and I cannot wait to watch Ben Simmons and this team back on the floor in October.