Ben Simmons Or Donovan Mitchell? Draymond Green Picks Rookie Of The Year

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green believes Donovan Mitchell should get the nod over Ben Simmons as NBA Rookie of the Year for 2018.

Mitchell of the Utah Jazz and Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers both emerged as the leading candidates for the award thanks to their performances this season.

Mitchell's 20.5 points, 3.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game this season saw the Jazz currently stand as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference as they recently clinched a playoff spot for the second straight season despite the departure of Gordon Hayward in the offseason.

Meanwhile, Simmons' 16 points, 8.2 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game saw the Sixers stand as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference as they are on a rampant 15-0 winning streak and are in the playoffs for the first time since 2012.

While for most, Simmons is the favorite with head coach Brett Brown calling him the "stone cold Rookie of the Year," Green recently threw his hat into the debate by picking Mitchell as his candidate solely because he is a "true rookie" with Simmons playing in his second season after missing the entire 2016-2017 season.

Green's belief will only be reinforced after the Utah guard scored 22 points to help the Jazz defeat the Warriors 119-79 in a crushing win Tuesday night.

"I don’t think that, really, you can go wrong with either. Donovan or Ben, they’re both have spectacular years," Green said before the game, as per Slam Online. "For me, I would go with Donovan just for the simple fact: I think he’s a true rookie."

"With Ben, I think just having NBA training, eating like a pro, watching film like a pro, I think all that makes a difference. Not taking away anything that he’s doing because he’s having a fantastic year, and I think he’ll be one of the faces of this league for years to come. But for me, what Donovan has done, just coming straight out of college and doing what he’s doing, would give him the nod for me."

The two rookie candidates have formed a sort of rivalry in recent weeks with Simmons recently claiming he should "100 percent" be given the award and that nobody else comes close to him.

Mitchell responded on Twitter before recently throwing shade at the Melbourne native before the game against the Warriors on Tuesday by wearing a hoodie with the definition of rookie written on it, implying Simmons cannot be considered one even if this is his first proper season.

"He's implying I am a rookie because this is my first season," Simmons responded after the win over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday. "It's all love, he's a great player. If I wasn't a rookie this year, he would have definitely had it but you know, I'm not."

The winner of the NBA Rookie of the Year award will be announced at the end of the postseason on June 25.