NBA: In-Depth Cases For the Top 3 Candidates

#1 Simmons has historically great box score statistics

Ben Simmons is a monster, all things considered. The last time a player averaged 16 points (rounded off to the nearest whole number), 8 assists and 8 rebounds in his rookie season was back in 1960-61 when Oscar Robertson posted averages of 30.5 points, 10.1 rebounds and 9.7 assists. Magic Johnson posted averages of 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists, and he is the only true comparison Simmons has in terms of physicality and skills.

What's so puzzling about this is the fact that he's putting up these averages without ever attempting a 3-pointer, or even jump shots from 16 feet or so. Opponents have tried to strategize around this apparent weakness in his game, but nobody has quite found a way to make him any less effective than he generally is. More than anything, it speaks to his basketball IQ that he finds a way to guide the 76ers to the 13th-ranked offense in the league.

While we're at it, it might be worth mentioning that Simmons is by the most unselfish player in the league by a fairly wide margin. While iso machines like James Harden, Damian Lillard, and LeBron James generally use their passes as weapons only to rack up assists, Simmons keeps the ball moving around with his league-leading 74.4 passes per game (Lonzo Ball is a distant second with 65.4). With Simmons, the assists come as a result of volume.