6. Who will have a better year: Ben Simmons or Donovan Mitchell?
Last season, Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell competed in one of the more exciting two-man rookie of the year races in recent memory (second only to Michael Carter-Williams and bad Victor Oladipo of course). Simmons ended up receiving a vast majority of first-place votes, but Mitchell had a very compelling case, and I’m not talking about the #FakeRookie campaign.
Thanks to that race, the two budding stars will likely continue to be compared throughout the course of their careers despite having markedly different games. Who will more deftly avoid a sophomore slump this season? It will be a thread worth following.
Simmons edges out Mitchell in terms of physical tools — not because Mitchell is a slouch but more because being 6-foot-10 kind of gives you an edge. Simmons also has better passing vision than Mitchell, seeing as that’s arguably his biggest asset, he’s stronger and he has a more established post game. He also will not shoot from outside, and that doesn’t seem like it will change this season.
Mitchell, on the other hand, seems primed to come into this season without any glaring weaknesses in his game. He can drive, he can spot up, he can kick out to shooters, he can defend bigger guards with his length and he’s absolutely fearless.
Simmons’ complete refusal to shoot the ball from even close to 3-point range is, in theory, something that opposing defenses could exploit. This is more of a playoff concern than a regular season worry, as defenses aren’t as likely to change up their normal schemes during the 82-game grind. However, both the Sixers and the Jazz will have serious playoff ambitions this year, so it’s something to monitor.