Ben Simmons wins Rookie of the Year

[CelticsElite]

Can we consider the kid who sat out a year before the draft (was it Anfernee Simons?) “straight out of high school” because he didn’t play in college (or professionally)?

yeah but what does that have to do with Simmons

In regards to not playing for a year doesn’t have any effect (positive or negative).

He has to be more developed than a kid who came right out of HS but not as advanced (one would think/hope) as a kid that went to college.

I don’t think Simons should be considered straight out of high school.

the issue is that Simmons has a year head start with nba level professional coaches trainers dietitians and strategists. That’s  the issue

[green_bballers13]

I'm tired of the semantics argument about rookies. Mitchell/Tatum should have won, but Simmons got it.

Simmons is the flashier name at this point in their careers. Similar to Lebron, Kyrie, Blake, and Andrew Wiggins, Simmons was the #1 pick and had a good first year of playing. It's a popularity contest.

I'd rather have both Mitchell and Tatum b/c of their shooting ability. I think Mitchell has Wade potential, and Tatum can be like Pierce. I'm not sure what prime time Ben Simmons looks like. I guess its Magic Johnson. I have more confidence that Mitchell/Tatum will reach their potential than Simmons.

[GreenEnvy]

Can we consider the kid who sat out a year before the draft (was it Anfernee Simons?) “straight out of high school” because he didn’t play in college (or professionally)?

yeah but what does that have to do with Simmons

In regards to not playing for a year doesn’t have any effect (positive or negative).

He has to be more developed than a kid who came right out of HS but not as advanced (one would think/hope) as a kid that went to college.

I don’t think Simons should be considered straight out of high school.

the issue is that Simmons has a year head start with nba level professional coaches trainers dietitians and strategists. That’s  the issue

I agree. I do think he had big advantages that most rookies do not. Ideally, all rookies should have about 4 months between the draft and opening night to work with NBA level professionals. That’s enough time to big changes. Maybe not as drastic as 16 months. But he did have a legit injury (for most of the season, at least).

The fact is he never played a game and it really doesn’t matter why.The rules are what they are.  I don’t recall the uproar when Blake received the award. He had one of the greatest rookie seasons ever, and I’m sure it had a lot to do with sitting on the sidelines for a year and working with the Clippers staff. Does anyone think he would have been that good had he stayed a second season in Oklahoma?