NBA Award Watch: Curry, Griffin and Oladipo headline the honors

Rookie of the Year — Ben Simmons

“Lonzo Ball’s winning Rookie of the Year!” — LaVar Ball repeatedly proclaimed between the NBA Draft and opening night for the Los Angeles Lakers. Ball won Summer League MVP and was the media darling for the entirety of the summer.

But on the other coast of the country, there was another player that was likely seething at the attention Ball was getting. Ben Simmons spent the entirety of his rookie — now redshirt — season on the sidelines, unable to play due to injury.

He made his debut alongside Lonzo Ball and has outperformed him by every metric. The 6-foot-10 point guard for the 76ers is averaging 17.5 points, 7.5 assists and 9.5 rebounds per game. Last Monday against the Pistons, Simmons notched a triple-double, with 21 points, 10 assists and 12 rebounds.

He’s also shooting 51 percent from the field and really taking advantage of his athleticism to attack teams at the rim. The two-man game between Simmons and Embiid has been fantastic to watch and could be a dynamic duo in the future.

Simmons is starting to run away with this award early in the season, he just needs to stay on par and he’ll be winning these honors in June.