Utah Jazz: Five intriguing story lines that have emerged from 2018 Playoffs

Mitchell making people regret Ben Simmons ROY vote

Let me make this clear, engaging in petty arguments over a one-time award that is of little consequence for a player’s career isn’t really my thing. However, the way that Donovan Mitchell has played this postseason is certainly turning the heads of several fans as well as of NBA Award voters within the media.

That’s not to take away from Ben Simmons, who despite his poor showing in Game 2 against the Boston Celtics, has been superb all year long as well as in the postseason. However, I think it goes without saying that in terms of how well Mitchell has carried his team, the level of opponents he has faced thus far and the special things he is doing, he’s been more spectacular than Simmons in the playoffs.

That’s been so much the case that certain members of the media are apparently having “voter’s remorse” for picking Simmons as the Rookie of the Year. As evidenced in the tweet below, ABC/ESPN’s Mark Jones is just one of those examples.

If Mitchell can continue his ascent while the Celtics continue to expose Simmons’ lack of a jump shot (though I truly expect him to bounce back in incredible fashion), this trend could very well continue and we could see more folks regretting picking Simmons over Mitchell in their Rookie of the Year selections. Simmons obviously benefited during the regular season from playing in a larger market with higher exposure, but Mitchell showcasing what he can do on such an immense stage during the playoffs is definitely garnering attention.

One thing that has stood out about Mitchell all season long is how many players have endorsed him as their ROY choice. From Damian Lillard to DeMar DeRozan to DeMarcus Cousins, to name a few, players have vocally expressed their admiration for the young Louisville product.

And that praise has continued in the postseason as Goran Dragic of the Miami Heat recently sent out a simple tweet endorsing Mitchell for ROY:

Considering that Dragic played against Simmons in the first round of the playoffs (and actually got into a little spat with him as well), this is certainly some interesting praise. And it’s further proof that as Donovan tears it up in the playoffs, the players with experience going head-to-head against both him and Simmons feel that he is the most deserving of the recognition.

Of course, though, the NBA Awards aren’t revealed until June 25th after the conclusion of the playoffs and are strictly regular season awards. The votes were collected at the conclusion of the regular season and can’t be changed no matter what happens in postseason play.

However, now that Mitchell has clearly caught the attention of some of the voters that may have overlooked him before, the Rookie of the Year announcement could prove to be more than a little awkward if Simmons does indeed win it.

Time will tell how the two players will fare in their remaining postseason contests, but if current trends continue, Mitchell will very likely prove in retrospect that he was deserving of the award. Even if voters that failed to pay as much attention to him as they should have during the regular season didn’t think so beforehand.