It was a real debate.
Donovan Mitchell came out of nowhere to lead the Utah Jazz to the playoffs. Jayson Tatum came out strong, then reminded everyone during the playoffs (which was after the voting) how well he fit what Boston was doing.
But in the end, Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers won the NBA Rookie of the Year award.
“I’d like to thank my family … my teammates, my great coach and the city of Philadelphia for really embracing me.”#HereTheyCome x #NBAAwards https://t.co/uR9GSdScQS
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) June 26, 2018
Simmons brought a real all-around game: 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game, plus he played excellent defense. He looked every bit the future All-NBA player, and he was racking up rookie triple-doubles like he was Magic Johnson.
Simmons had 90 of the 101 first-place votes cast by select media members. Donovan Mitchell came in second and had the other 11 first-place votes. After that, it was Jayson Tatum, Kyle Kuzma, and Dennis Smith Jr. receiving votes.