By Justin Lipitz

As the NBA heads into All Star Weekend, the frenzy surrounding individual player awards is beginning. Now that Jayson Tatum has finally fallen back to earth, it’s pretty clear that the race for Rookie of the Year is really just between Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell, especially with Mitchell’s surging Utah Jazz. There’s still a lot of time left in the NBA season, but as of right now, it’s pretty difficult to confidently decide who is more deserving of the award.

Overall, Simmons is having the better statistical season. The only categories in which Mitchell is leading are PPG, 3P%, and USG%. Simmons, meanwhile, is already a well-rounded player, leading Mitchell in RPG and APG, averaging 7.8 and 7.3, respectively. Simmons also beats him out in BPG, SPG, and notably Value over Replacement Player and Win Shares.

It is also important to recognize that Simmons isn’t just having an exceptional defensive season for a rookie, he is having a historically great one; he ranks third in the league in Defensive Win Shares, and is also thirteenth in Defensive Rating. Not to mention that the Sixers’ defense improves significantly while Simmons and Embiid are both on the floor. Although Mitchell is probably a more natural scorer, there isn’t a large gap between their offensive numbers, and Simmons will become far more dangerous if he develops a perimeter shot.

Going into the All Star break, Mitchell and the Jazz are red hot. They have now rattled off 11 straight wins against some strong teams, beating the Warriors, the Raptors and the Spurs twice. Their streak has pulled them within a game and a half from the eighth seed in the loaded Western Conference. Mitchell has also established himself as the alpha of that team by becoming the first rookie in history to lead a team in scoring during an 11 game winning streak.

The same can’t necessarily be said of Simmons; he obviously has Joel Embiid by his side, and it isn’t too clear who is the dominant player within that duo. Not to mention that in the 10 games that Embiid has missed this season, Simmons is just 2-8. Meanwhile, the Sixers are just a game and a half better than the Jazz right now, going 30-25 in the weaker East. Yes, Simmons doesn’t perform as well without his sidekick, but Embiid’s play also suffers when Simmons doesn’t play. The same can be said of the relationship between Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.

Mitchell and Simmons are both having unbelievable rookie seasons and they are contributing to much of the hype surrounding their talented draft class. Simmons is the leader between the two in individual statistics, especially because he already has six triple doubles as a rookie, needing just two more to pass Magic Johnson who holds the record.

Fans should also be more aware that Simmons has quietly become one of the best defenders in the NBA. For these reasons, he has the edge over Mitchell in this year’s ROY race. Although Simmons and the Sixers may be slightly underperforming ,while Mitchell continuously carries the Jazz, Philadelphia is obviously still so young. Simmons’ play without Embiid can’t be read into that much just yet. All of this being said, Simmons has a lead over Mitchell, but it can definitely change, especially if the Jazz continue to surge.