Aug 22nd, 2018

Aug 22nd, 2018

Australian 76ers guard Ben Simmons has explained why he deserved the NBA Rookie of the Year award over Donovan Mitchell following a bitter campaign for the accolade.

And in the process he may have stoked the fire even further ahead of the 2018-19 season.

In the lead-up to Simmons taking out the 2017-18 award in June, Mitchell had been fuelling an ongoing rivalry with the Philadelphia star by repeatedly questioning the Victorian’s ‘rookie’ status.

(AAP) Mitchell (left) and Simmons were in a fierce battle for the NBA Rookie of the Year.

Simmons was drafted in 2016, but was forced to sit out that year due to a foot injury suffered in a pre-season game for the 76ers. So while last year was not technically Simmons’ first year in the NBA, it was his first year playing in the league, and he therefore qualified as a rookie.

As the young pair dominated on the court for their respective teams and hype developed for their Rookie of the Year contention, Mitchell started throwing cheeky barbs at the Aussie.

The Utah Jazz guard wore rookie-related shirts to games which were obvious shots at Simmons and it didn’t go unnoticed by NBA fans and media.

Both players got chirpy on social media and were constantly asked by the press about each other’s performances, trading sly digs at one another all the way up until the ceremony, when Simmons was eventually given the award, joining an esteemed list of previous winners such as Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Allen Iverson and Kevin Durant.

In attempting to end any talk of “beef” with Mitchell, Simmons didn’t hold back in explaining why he was the right choice to win the award.

“I'm never beefing,” he told Wide World of Sports while in town for the launch of NBA 2K19.

“My thing is I did what I was expected to do. So it's easy for somebody to do something when there's no expectations and there's no pressure, like for him.

(AAP) Aussie Joe Ingles with Jazz teammate Mitchell.

“But for me, coming off an injury when I still had these expectations and I was supposed to be a certain player. That is a lot harder than someone coming into the league and no-one really knowing their name and them coming out of nowhere.

“It's easier to do that than be up top and always have someone always looking at you, waiting for you to mess up.”

While the debate might still continue among those on Team Simmons and Team Mitchell, the stats according to Hero Sports show that the Aussie was indeed the more complete rookie.

Mitchell was a slightly more consistent scorer than Simmons (by 4.7 points per game) but the 76ers star delivered superior results in assists (4.5 assists more per game), in field goal percentage (9.8 per cent better), in defence (more blocks and steals), and in rebounds (4.4 more per game).

Both players had a significant role in getting their teams to the playoffs last season too, before the 76ers and Jazz exited in the second round.

Simmons said he was disappointed with that result, but was encouraged by what Philadelphia could build upon going into this year.

“The experience of us going to the playoffs and getting to the second round playing a team like Boston helped us a lot,” Simmons said.

“We know what to expect and all of us know what we need to work on, to get better and go to that next level.”

(AAP) Simmons was a worth Rookie of the Year winner.

Another NBA rookie from Australia will be joining Simmons in 2018-19 too.

Jonah Bolden was drafted in the second round by the 76ers in 2017 but the team stashed him, and sent him over to Israel to play for Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he helped them claim the Israeli League Championship. The 6-foot-10 power forward born in Melbourne and raised in Sydney to former American pro basketballer Bruce, was signed to a four-year deal with the 76ers in July worth an estimated $9.5 million.

Simmons’ father actually played alongside Bolden’s dad during the glory days of the Sydney Kings in the NBL. Simmons said Bolden will be right at home in Philadelphia and playing in the NBA under the guidance of former NBL coach Brett Brown, though he may have to endure a bit of light hazing from his teammates.

“He's going to fit in great,” Simmons said.

“The only part is he's a rookie, so we might make him carry our bags or pick up the balls after practice.

“But our team is like a family - you've got coach Brown, Joel [Embiid], J.J. Redick who is like an older father figure, Jerryd Bayless, and then we've got some young guys coming in too, and Dario Saric of course - we're all like brothers.

“Every time we're back on the court we can all talk to each other and really get better and learn from each other.”

(AAP) Bolden spent a season in Israel after he was drafted by the 76ers.

After his stellar debut season, Simmons will also undoubtedly have plenty of advice for the incoming Aussie rookie.

“He just needs to play his game and not focus on what he needs to do too much, just play the game he knows how to play,” Simmons said.

“That was the thing for me, just to play the way I know how to play.”