The Sixer Sense
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Ben Simmons is Rookie of the Year and it isn’t really close

By Christopher Kline

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 3: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on against the Brooklyn Nets at Wells Fargo Center on April 3, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 3: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on against the Brooklyn Nets at Wells Fargo Center on April 3, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons deserves Rookie of the Year.

There has been a lot of talk about the Rookie of the Year race lately. Ben Simmons not-so-subtly proclaimed that he should be the winner, which upset folks who don’t follow the team and now view him as an arrogant, accolade-driven 21-year-old.

That, of course, couldn’t be further from the truth.

The Philadelphia 76ers‘ star has put winning above all else throughout the season. He has stressed that on multiple occasions when taking about the Rookie of the Year award, and the Sixers have the success to back that up.

Heck, even in a piece about NBA players taking in-game breaks, Simmons said he gives his full effort on every play. That’s not normal for somebody who carries a load as large as his.

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Yes, Donovan Mitchell is good. And in just about any other season, Mitchell would be the undisputed frontrunner in this debate. He’s a special talent and somebody Jazz fans should be extremely excited about.

Simmons, however, is already there. He’s not a rising star, he’s a borderline superstar. You could argue that right now — just over 70 games into his NBA career — Simmons is a top-25 player in the league. He’s already leading a playoff surge while Joel Embiid sits on the bench with a half-swollen face.

On the season, Simmons is averaging a cool 16 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game. Here are the only players in NBA history to average 16-8-8 over the course of an entire season: LeBron James, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Magic Johnson.

Simmons is doing it as a rookie.

You can use the argument that Simmons struggled without Embiid on the floor, and that’s valid. But those struggles are relative. The Sixers always struggled without Embiid, and that was largely due to depth. They just didn’t have the personnel needed to stay afloat — especially defensively — when he left.

Now that has changed. They have a capable second unit ball handler in Markelle Fultz, while Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova have brought a much-needed offensive punch to the second unit. Now that there’s a workable roster around him, we’re watching the Sixers (and Simmons) flourish without Embiid.

In the last six games, with Embiid on the sidelines, Simmons is averaging 17.8 points, 10 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game. He’s also adding 2.3 steals and 1.0 blocks on the defensive end, adding to his case for All-Defense recognition.

Without an arguable top-10 MVP candidate in Embiid, Simmons has the Sixers looking like one of the best teams in the league. He’s breaking out a new jaw-dropping pass every night, and he’s displaying the kind of all-time talent that should make this decision an easy one for award voters.

Even without a jumper — a literal inability to shoot threes — Simmons is already producing at historic levels. Mitchell is the better volume scorer, but he’s not nearly as efficient. On 4.8 more shot attempts per game, Mitchell averages 4.5 more points per game. He averages 7.5 made field goals per game to Simmons’ 6.8, all while Simmons avoids the perimeter.

That “Simmons can’t produce without Embiid” argument can be turned against Mitchell as well. Utah’s sudden ascension to the fourth seed happened to coincide with the return of Rudy Gobert. Mitchell kept them afloat in some ways while Gobert was out, but they weren’t an above-average team until the Defensive Player of the Year favorite returned to full health.

Perhaps the worst argument — and sadly the most common one — used against Simmons, though, is the notion that he’s not actually a rookie. Because he got to sit on the sidelines and experience NBA training for a year, he shouldn’t be held to the same standard as somebody like Mitchell.

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In some ways, that’s fair. Being around the NBA lifestyle for a season certainly helps. What it doesn’t do is replicate the pace and feel of an NBA game. Simmons didn’t play an actual game of basketball against NBA competition until this season.

You can disagree with the definition, not who deserves the award.

Simmons is already an elite talent on both sides of the ball, combining insane ball skills and athletic tools with a basketball I.Q. that goes well beyond his years. The LeBron comparisons were always overblown, but he’s showing shades of Magic that even the most optimistic talent evaluators didn’t expect.

Next: Bryan Colangelo's case for Executive of the Year

There’s a chance that we see the Sixers in the Eastern Conference Finals this year. Some even think they have a shot at the Finals. Ben Simmons is a big reason why.