The Sixer Sense
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Big Ben or Big Baller: Who is having a better rookie year?

By Rusty Gorelick

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 25: Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers during warm up before the game against the Washington Wizards on October 25, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.  (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 25: Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers during warm up before the game against the Washington Wizards on October 25, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.  (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images) /
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Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons and Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball top the rookie hype scale. Who has done more thus far?

Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons seemed like a forgotten man as a result of his injury from last season, but he has gained back the hype this year with his historic streak of play in his rookie year. Lonzo Ball gets the most hype out of any rookie in this batch of rookies thanks to his dad’s bravado and the buzz surrounding his family name. The two point guards are franchise cornerstones on two of the most storied franchises in NBA history, and their similar styles of play cause plenty of comparisons.

Here’s a chart through a few days ago showing the players who are averaging more than 10 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists per game this season:

The four players on this chart are Lonzo Ball and the three best players in the NBA. Just kidding about Simmons being on that level already, but looking past these numbers, Ball shoots just 32.6 percent from the field. The next-lowest field goal percentage on that list belongs to Russell Westbrook, who shoots 47.2 percent. From three-point range, Ball shoots 27.8 percent.

When Ben Simmons gets the ball, basically the entire defense knows what he will do with the ball. His jump shot showed some promise over the past few games, but until he starts knocking it down consistently, defenses will sag off him because they know he wants to go to the hoop. Regardless of that, he still shoots 53 percent from the field.

As of Wednesday, Simmons averages 18.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 7.9 assists, while Ball puts up 9.1 points, 6.8 boards, and 6.6 assists. Simmons averages more than twice the amount of points that Ball averages even though he has another star in Joel Embiid on the floor taking shots away from Simmons.

On Tuesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, Ball had zero points, three rebounds, and four assists. He took two shots in the entire game and played 28 minutes. Simmons’ lowest-scoring game came in his second career game, where he had 11 against the Boston Celtics.

Next: Ben Simmons is already an All-Star

Before the draft, scouts touted Lonzo Ball as “Jason Kidd with a jumper”. Lonzo has just eight career games under his belt, but so far, he is looking more like a poor man’s Rajon Rondo than Kidd. Obviously, he has a long career ahead of him, but Ben Simmons has clearly made a greater impact than Ball. Simmons has been much more consistent and has led his team to slightly more success than Ball thus far. Given the numbers posted by each so far, there really is no contest: Ben Simmons is better than Lonzo Ball.