This race for 2018 NBA Rookie of the Year IS a very close one between Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons and Utah’s Donovan Mitchell. The COMPETITION has brought up an argument of who should really be viewed as a rookie because Simmons missed his entire first season due to injury.
He nonetheless is considered a rookie, perhaps one with an advantage over Mitchell, who is in his true first season in the NBA. Someone who experienced something similar is Los Angeles Lakers forward Julius Randle. Just minutes into his very first game Randle broke his leg, ending his rookie season.