Utah Jazz editorial: Yes, Ben Simmons won ROY, and it’s time to move on

Ben Simmons officially won the 2017-18 Rookie of the Year Award and it’s time for Utah Jazz fans, and everyone else, to simply move on.

One of the most heated arguments across the NBA this season, particularly for the two franchises with the most skin in the game, the Utah Jazz and Philadelphia 76ers, was the Rookie of the Year debate. All throughout the 2017-18 season, the banter was nearly nonstop, with Jazz fans claiming Simmons wasn’t truly a rookie due to a “redshirt year” and Sixers fans claiming that Mitchell could do little else but shoot.

In all honesty, the constant back and forth and heavily overused jabs that would appear on nearly every single social media post grew tiresome very quickly. Yet the debate raged on. Ultimately, Donovan Mitchell came away with the Players’ Voice Award for the league’s best rookie while in Monday’s NBA Awards Show, Ben Simmons came out on top with the coveted Rookie of the Year Award.

It came as little surprise that Simmons would take home that hardware. Playing in a much bigger market with much more of the national media keeping track of him gave him a decided advantage over a Jazz team that was thought little of on a national scale until late in the regular season. When the All-NBA teams were announced, it was pretty clear what the voters thought of Simmons based on those results.

It was all too obvious that he was the favorite for Rookie of the Year and thus it wasn’t unexpected to see him win.

And the thing that Jazz fans seem to be missing is that if you took away the controversy about his sitting out for a year, there probably would be a lot less to argue about in all this. Mitchell had a phenomenal 2017-18 season, but so did Ben Simmons. Mitchell’s campaign seems somewhat more impressive since he came out of nowhere to surprise the NBA world, but that doesn’t mean that Simmons wasn’t an incredible player in his first official year on the court.

Did his year sitting out likely give him an advantage? I definitely think so. This Sports Illustrated article below from Tim Hackett does a phenomenal job of spelling out just how the year between being drafted and playing helped Ben Simmons–

And that’s the biggest argument Jazz fans seem to have (along with Ben Simmons’ lack of a jump shot), that Simmons didn’t deserve to be considered a rookie. While I get the gripe, unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that according to NBA rules, Simmons was a rookie. It’s also not an exaggeration to say he had a huge advantage. Guess what? Both can be true.

But the Rookie of the Year Award was never meant to be a ‘fair’ award. Rookies can get drafted into excellent situations a la Donovan Mitchell or into poor situations where they never get to develop. To some extent, it could be argued that Mitchell had an ‘unfair advantage’ compared to other rookies just based on the favorable and perfect storm situation (including Gordon Hayward leaving) that allowed him to instantly step into the spotlight.

Mitchell is clearly talented enough to flourish wherever he would have played, but there’s no denying that the opportunity in Utah helped him to thrive.

My point here, though, is not to lecture Jazz fans. Trust me, I’m as disappointed as anyone that Mitchell didn’t win Rookie of the Year. I wasn’t expecting him to, but really hoped he would. And even if you set aside the redshirt year advantage argument, by simply comparing Mitchell and Simmons’ rookie seasons side by side and the impacts they both had, you could definitely argue that Mitchell still should have won Rookie of the Year.

In fact, several media members admitted after watching the playoffs that if they had a do-over, they would have picked Mitchell over Simmons.

But even then, it likely wouldn’t have been enough and Simmons probably still would have won. And the fact of the matter is, with the award having been handed out, the debate is simply over. Like it or not, Ben Simmons is the 2017-18 NBA Rookie of the Year. His name will forever be enshrined in that space. There’s nothing Jazz fans or anybody else can do about it.

And yet, the debate still seems to rage on. I’m here to tell Jazz fans to give it a rest.

First of all, let’s not be like a large percentage of 76ers fans whose team has been so bad these past few years that they’ve acted as if this award is akin to winning the NBA Championship. It’s really not that big of a deal. Donovan Mitchell will certainly have a chip on his shoulder for not winning the award, but I guarantee he’s largely already over it. His quote from his appearance on the JJ Redick Podcast last week says as much–

"“Do I want to win it? Yes. Do I think I will? Probably not. But I won the award from my peers, so I don’t care what analysts think, they’re not the ones who have to guard me.”"

Mitchell realizes what so many apparently are failing to come to grips with that in the grand scheme of things, winning or not winning the Rookie of the Year Award is pretty meaningless.

Let’s take a look at some of the players to win the award in this millennium and you give me your thoughts on their illustrious NBA careers–

• 2000-01 – Mike Miller
• 2004-05 – Emeka Okafor
• 2009-10 – Tyreke Evans
• 2013-14 – Michael Carter-Williams
• 2014-15 – Andrew Wiggins
• 2016-17 – Malcolm Brogdon

Now, I mean no disrespect to any of these players. Some are still in the league and are excellent at what they do. Not only that, but I’m by no means saying that Simmons is going to plummet after his rookie season, I think he’s a bona fide star. All I’m aiming to point out is that winning this award isn’t a sure-fire guarantor of success.

Brogdon seemed to be forgotten this year after winning it last season. Evans and Carter-Williams have been journeymen since winning the award. Andrew Wiggins now has one of the most highly criticized contracts in basketball.

In other words, 20 years from now, people will look back at Rookie of the Year Award winners and see Ben Simmons’ name on the 2017-18 line, and they’ll think little more of it. Instead, Simmons and Mitchell will be remembered more for what they do from here on out. When all is said and done, their careers will be marked by what they do between now and the time they retire rather than what they did in their rookie seasons.

Simmons’ name will forever be etched in history as the 2017-18 Rookie of the Year, but his legacy is very much still to be determined. The same can be said about Mitchell.

Mitchell will never be a Rookie of the Year, but dozens upon dozens of NBA legends never were. He likewise has the ability to forge his own path and mold his career into something that can be remembered for generations. Why, then, would we get so hung up on an award that quite frankly is insignificant?

Next: Utah Jazz: No ROY for Donovan Mitchell, but he has peers’ respect

Gripes, complaints and frustrations aside, Ben Simmons is the Rookie of the Year. That’s that. But Donovan Mitchell has a chance to become so much more than just the ROY runner-up.

Let’s drop the debate, move on and simply enjoy the show that lies ahead.