Ben Simmons was the Rookie of the Year for the 17-18 NBA season, but was it the right choice? Simmons and Donovan Mitchell were the best rookies in the league. There are still arguments about this. People say Donovan Mitchell is the best rookie because he led the Utah Jazz to win the first round of the playoffs. Ben Simmons won it because he had an outstanding year with the 76ers. Through analyzing stats and footage, we will see who is the better player.
In checking the stats, Mitchell won the points category, averaging 20.5 points per game (ppg). Ben Simmons, with a 15.8 ppg average, was right behind. The league leader in ppg averaged 30.4 points. That was the league’s MVP: James Harden. In rebounds, Simmons is stronger than Mitchell with 8.1 rebounds per game while Mitchell averaged 3.7. Rebounds per game are important because if you get them on offense you can get second chance points but on defense it can also start a run to get a shot. Ben Simmons is near triple double stats with 8.2 apg (assists per game) now leading in two categories with Mitchell averaging 3.7 apg. Assists are important because they are passes that have led to a successful shot.
Looking at stats, Simmons leads but by analyzing some film I have a deeper understanding of how they play. Ben Simmons is more of a drive-and-kick player. This means he goes toward the basket and passes it out to a shooter or he finds a big in the paint to dunk it. On defense he tries to contest shots and keep his man on the perimeter. Mitchell on the other hand uses ball screens to get open shots or uses them to find a big in the paint on pick-and-rolls. On defense he keeps his man on the perimeter and uses help defense in the paint.
Also, in stats, the player efficiency rating shows the overall effectiveness of the players on the court. Ben Simmons led with a PER of 20.0 while Mitchell had a PER of 16.7. According to nba.com, Ben Simmons has a 4.8 +/- while Mitchell has a +/- of 4.6 which is how many points the team outscores the other team by, while that player is on the court. Efficiency is important and Mitchell leads in 3-point shooting with a percentage of 34.0% from 3-point range while Simmons is a 0%, not making a single three-point shot through 81 games. In field goal percentage, Ben Simmons is a solid 54.5% with Mitchell right behind at 43.7%. These show the percentage of shots made.
Simmons has better court vision while Mitchell is a way better pure shooter. After looking at the stats and analyzing footage there is no clear winner. While Donovan leads in 3-point shooting percentage and ppg, Simmons leads in rpg, apg and player efficiency rating. They also have different playing styles so it is hard to judge who is better. Simmons has an advantage being 6 ‘10” playing point guard which allows him to shoot over the top of other players. Mitchell is a shooting guard who doesn’t bring the ball up court much but still can take a good shot or can pass the ball. In my opinion, Mitchell is better because he can play offense and defense and if he plays point guard he can get assists.