Australia’s Ben Simmons has joined basketball royalty by winning the NBA rookie of the year award. He joins a who’s who of the greats of the game with past winners of the coveted prize including Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, LeBron James, Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson and Kevin Durant. Australian-born Kyrie Irving also won the award in 2012. “Wow,” said Simmons, after a slow walk up to the stage at the ceremony in Los Angeles on Monday. “I’d like to thank my family and friends to start with. I wouldn’t be here without them.” Simmons, a 21-year-old born in Melbourne, beat the Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell and the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum to win what became a contentious battle debated furiously in the US media, on social platforms and among former and present NBA players. Mitchell and other critics were vocal in questioning whether Simmons should be eligible for the award. The Australian was injured the entire 2016-17 season with a foot fracture, but remained with the 76ers and worked out with the team until making his game debut the past season. Mitchell and Tatum made their debuts the year they were drafted. Mitchell wore pointed shirts to games toward the end of the regular season, including one that defined the word rookie as: “An athlete playing his or her first season as a member of a professional sports team.” The Jazz guard kept it up on Monday, arriving in a van for the ceremony with “ROOKIE?” on the side. When Simmons was announced the winner Mitchell got out of his seat and hugged the Australian. “I try not to let the media hype things up or fans or whatever it is just because I know I’m doing what I love and I do what I can on the floor,” said Simmons, when asked about the criticism. “That doesn’t take anything away from Jayson or Donovan. They had excellent, amazing, tremendous seasons.” The award was decided by members of the US and Canadian sports media and Simmons likely benefited from the date votes had to be cast. The deadline was back in April. It was the end of the NBA regular season and when Simmons was leading the 76ers, without injured All-Star team-mate Joel Embiid, on a record win-streak and personally dropping triple-doubles that put him in the rare air of Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson. It was after the vote deadline when Mitchell was sensational in the Jazz’s playoff run and Tatum went head-to-head with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. In the playoffs Simmons was exposed by the Celtics for his inability to make and take mid-range and three-point shots.<doc-sep>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.<doc-sep>The second-ever NBA Awards bring forward some of the best players, coaches, and plays, recognizing the best of the best throughout a long 82-game NBA season. TNT televised this awards ceremony in conjunction with the NBA, giving the players the opportunity to celebrate these accomplishments in front of their peers. ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: WINNER: Ben Simmons In a close race with Utah Jazz shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, the lauded Philadelphia 76ers’ first overall selection in 2016 lived up to the hype, delivering through his first year of action in the league, averaging 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game, along with 1.7 steals and 0.9 blocks through 81 games played. Simmons missed his would-have-been rookie season in 2016-17 with a foot injury.<doc-sep>Monday night in Santa Monica, California the NBA will hold its second annual awards show where we’ll learn the league’s MVP, Sixth Man of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, Coach of the Year, and Rookie of the Year. That last category may provide the most intrigue. Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz, Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum are on the short list to win the award. A fierce battle raged for much of the 2017-18 NBA season. It centers around whether Simmons should even be eligible to be named Rookie of the Year. Simmons was the number one overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. He sat out all of his “first” season courtesy of a foot injury. He made his NBA debut on October 18th, 2017 against the Washington Wizards. Last week on the Scoop B Radio Podcast, Phoenix Suns forward Josh Jackson was clear and concise when asked if Simmons should be eligible to walk award with the award. “I really don’t think so.” “Sitting out and then playing the next year, I think that does absolutely give you an advantage.” Had the Sixers at any time decided to pull that redshirt from Simmons, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. Following the 2014 NBA Draft, Los Angeles Lakers forward Julius Randle missed all but 13 minutes, 34 seconds of his freshman campaign. Prior to the start of the 2015-16 season, the league ruled that Randle would not be considered for ROY, his rookie status forfeited the second he stepped on the floor. Before Randle, Blake Griffin and Nerlens Noel both missed season number one in its entirety. In season two Griffin was named ROY, the first unanimous winner since David Robinson swept voting following the 1989-90 season. In 2015 Noel finished third behind Andrew Wiggins and Nikola Mirotic. We’ll find out what voters think tonight at 9p ET on TNT. Until then, give Scoop B’s podcast a listen. There’s lots of good stuff here.<doc-sep>
Chris Szagola/Associated Press Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons' rapid ascent to superstardom earned him the 2017-18 NBA Rookie of the Year award Monday, as he beat out Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics. While Mitchell campaigned hard for the award down the stretch, he made sure to show the victor some love: Originally drafted No. 1 overall two years ago, Simmons missed the entire 2016-17 season after fracturing a bone in his right foot in a scrimmage during training camp. That led to some discussion about the validity of Simmons being a rookie this season, highlighted by Mitchell donning a hoodie with the dictionary definition of the word: This was a situation that also cropped up seven years ago when Blake Griffin was named the NBA's top rookie after missing the previous season due to a knee injury. Despite the controversy, Simmons' performance on the court made him hard to vote against for the award. The 21-year-old led all rookies with 8.1 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game, and his 15.8 points per game ranked third. He ranked third in the NBA with 12 triple-doubles, behind Russell Westbrook (25) and LeBron James (18). Video Play Button Videos you might like Per Basketball Reference, Simmons became the second rookie in NBA history with at least 1,200 points, 600 assists and 600 rebounds in their debut season. Oscar Robertson previously accomplished the feat during the 1960-61 campaign. Simmons was also one of the biggest reasons the 76ers became one of the best stories in the NBA last season. Their 52 wins were their most since the 2000-01 season, and they made the playoffs for the first time since 2011-12. Even though Philadelphia's season came to an abrupt end in the playoffs against the Celtics, the franchise's stock is soaring with Simmons and Joel Embiid leading a talented young roster.