It’s OFFICIAL: Ben Simmons Won Rookie of the Year And Crushed All Of Donovan Mitchell’s Hopes And Dreams

It is officially OFFICIAL: Ben Simmons has rightfully been crowned Rookie of the Year so RIP in peace, Donovan Mitchell.

I don’t think I’ve ever been so invested and caught up in a meaningless award (since last years Rookie of the Year) but Mitchell and Adidas’s “Rookie?” campaign got under my skin like a staph infection at an LA Fitness. The grand finale of the biggest clown show campaign since Ted Cruz ran for President was Mitchell showing up in a sprinter van that said “Rookie?” on the side. It was very on brand for Adidas to go all out for this and then come in second to Nike:

The best part about the award was how nonchalantly Ben Simmons accepted it. He gave the classic “I’m thankful for fans/friends/teammates/coaches”, speech and was out of there in 30 seconds like Kendall was waiting with the car running. Donovan Mitchell poured his entire life into winning this award and Simmons treated it like it was the sixth most interesting thing happening in Los Angeles tonight.
I’ve written a few articles during the season about why Simmons was the clear favorite for ROY so I’ll save readers from my spiel. The sparknotes version would be, “More points on more shot volume is not impressive. Simmons is the way more efficient player and means way more to his team. Miss me with the not a rookie bull shit”. You watched the games, you know what I mean. People watched the dunk contest and automatically crowned Mitchell the sexy pick. God forbid the national media ever give credit to any player or any team in Philadelphia for anything we’ve ever done.
I’m not saying Joel Embiid has been vindicated for losing to Malcom Brogdon in the same award category but tonight was a small step in the right direction. The “Rookie?” campaign is now dead. Donovan Mitchell, find a new slant.

By Aidan Powers | June 25, 2018