Official 2017-18 Rookie of the Year Watch, March 6th Edition:
Ben Simmons: 16 points, 13 assists, but his team was playing the Hornets so it’s not like those stats mean anything.
Donovan Mitchell: didn’t play.
Dennis Smith Jr.: 18 points, 11 assists, and the Mavericks needed all of those statisticals to beat the heavily-favored Nuggets.
If voting happened today, you have to think that the voters would have no choice but to give the award to Smith Jr. He had, clearly, the most impressive performance of the night. He made old-ass Dirk Nowitzki look like his old self, he threw some lobs (not to Dirk tho), and he had some slick finishes at the rim that most rookies couldn’t even dream about.
Sadly, the voting isn’t happening today. I don’t know when it is going to happen, but unless Smith Jr. executes a few hits on some of the other rookies, his total body of work isn’t going to get it done. I know a guy in all 50 states who is willing to kill for money, just saying.