The home stretch for NBA Rookie of the Year award

SALT LAKE CITY — A new rivalry has begun with fans from the Utah Jazz and Philadelphia 76ers. What’s the cause of all this you ask? The race for NBA Rookie of the Year.

The top candidates for the rookie's highest award appear to be Ben Simmons from the 76ers and Donovan Mitchell from the Jazz. Fanbases have taken to Twitter to fight for why each player should receive the award. Some relationships have even ended because of it.

While there is no question both these players have had outstanding seasons, we are left debating who deserves the award. Let’s take a look at the two candidates.

Mitchell is averaging a rookie-best and Jazz team-high of 20.5 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game. The Utah rookie became the fastest rookie in the league to hit 150 3-pointers, completing that in 63 games. As of Tuesday, he is four 3-pointers away from breaking Damian Lillard’s rookie record of 185 3-pointers.

Mitchell has lead the Jazz to a playoff berth this season after losing their top scorers Gordon Hayward and George Hill last season. For the Jazz, the beginning of the season didn’t look promising but Mitchell changed that and was a key contributor to the Jazz reaching a potential top-four seed.

On the other hand, Simmons' first season with the Sixers has been phenomenal. The Sixers have locked up the No. 3 seed in the East and have won 14 games straight. For Simmons, he is averaging 16.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8.2 assists per game, and shooting 54.7 percent from the field. Simmons currently leads all rookies in assists, rebounds and steals.

The 6-foot-10 Australian has picked up 12 triple-doubles, which is the third most in the league behind Russell Westbrook and LeBron James.

Simmons believes the race for ROY has no debate. When asked, he told ESPN.com’s Chris Haynes: "Who would I pick? Me, 100 percent. I think I have been playing solid all year. If you look at the numbers, you will see. People who know the game know."

When asked about if any other rookie has caught his attention, he responded: “none.”

Mitchell took note of Simmons' words and one doesn't need to speculate that his tweet Monday was in response to Simmons' statement.

But for Mitchell, his main focus hasn’t been on the award, it’s been on his team. Even with an amazing rookie season, the only thing he says he is worried about is getting his team to the playoffs.

Mitchell succeeded in that goal as the Jazz clinched a playoff spot against the Lakers Sunday night. But even with accomplishing that goal, Mitchell’s mindset hasn’t changed.

“The moment I start worrying about individual awards is the moment I give up on my teammates.”

Donovan Mitchell told me in January, "We're trying to do bigger things than Rookie of the Year." Said he was focused on the playoffs. Thought he was an overly optimistic, naive kid after Utah dropped to 19-28. Now he's the first rookie since Melo to lead a playoff team in scoring

Technically, this season is Simmons' second year in the league. The 2016 top draft pick missed the 2016-17 season due to a fractured foot. This has brought up the debate with fans about whether Simmons is even a true rookie while this is his first season playing and made his NBA debut in a Philadelphia uniform. He had a year to train in the league and prepare for the college-to-NBA transition, which many fans are claiming his "redshirt" year.

Simmons responded back to those who criticize him not being a rookie and told ESPN: "Coming off a broken foot is definitely not an edge, but people are always going to say what they want to say. But at the end of the day, this is my first year in the league. If you're a guy coming from overseas, you're still a rookie and you can be 30 years old. So there's a rule in there."

There are valid cases for why each player should be honored rookie of the year but only one can take home the trophy unless the panel awards the two co-rookie of the year. Only three times in NBA history has the award gone to two rookies in the same year: Dave Cowens and Geoff Petrie in 1971, Jason Kidd and Grant Hill in 1994, and Elton Brand and Steve Francis in 1999.

Could this be a possibility for 2018? We will have to wait until June 25 to find out.

With the regular season ending, the rookies only have two more games to prove to the panel why they should take home the award. All eyes will be on Mitchell and Simmons. With all that has been said and done, who do you think should take home Rookie of the Year? Lexi Lewis is studying public relations at Utah Valley University. You can follow her on twitter @lex_lew1018.

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