One of the most highly-discussed debates of the 2017-18 NBA season is which player between Utah Jazz shooting guard Donovan Mitchell and Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons should take home Rookie of the Year honors. It appears Phoenix Suns small forward Josh Jackson is leaning toward the former on this one.
The basis of this debate largely circles around the fact that Simmons is not a “true” rookie since he sat out his first season in the NBA. Jackson said, during an appearance on the Scoop B Radio Podcast, that he should not qualify as such:
“I don’t really think so,” Jackson said.
“Sitting out and then playing the next year, I think that does absolutely give you an advantage,” said Jackson.
Jackson's comments may not come as much of a surprise. Simmons rookie status may have kept him from earning first-team All-Rookie honors rather than second-team. Aside from that, there is still plenty of truth to his statements.
Simmons had the luxury of getting acclimated to the NBA lifestyle much sooner than Mitchell did. While the Aussie was nursing a foot injury during the 2016-17 NBA season, the Jazz star was still making a name for himself at Louisville. In fact, he had even contemplated staying another year in college before ultimately entering the draft.
Mitchell has made sure to point this out while campaigning himself for ROTY. Of course, Ben Simmons has taken an opposing stance on the matter with the hopes of putting the stamp on his impressive return. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how the vote shakes out.
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