After what was nothing short of a tremendous regular season campaign for Ben Simmons, the Sixers star was officially announced as a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award. As it turns out, Simmons isn't exactly too thrilled about it.

According to Ben, being named as a finalist means nothing to him at this point:

“I probably won't be excited unless I'm winning it,” said Simmons on Friday, via Justin Grasso of SI.com. “To be honest, I don't really care to be top three. I want to be number one. So, until those results come out, I don't really care.”

Fair point from Simmons here. Nobody remembers who came in second or third in the DPOY race, so right now, this is nothing more than an empty recognition for the Sixers guard.

Nevertheless, it's hard to deny that this honor means absolutely nothing. To be named as one of the best defenders in the league is still worth something. This speaks volumes of how elite Simmons is as a defender, and how this has led to Philly securing the best record in the Eastern Conference.

At the end of the day, however, it looks like Simmons is going to come away empty-handed. Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz is considered the favorite to bag the DPOY title for the third time in his career. For what it's worth, Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors is the third finalist on the shortlist.