Ben Simmons (Photo : NBAE via Getty Images)
The NBA rookies are not exempt from having an opinion about their peers. Most of them have spent a lot of time together at the draft combine and competed against each other in college and other international tournaments.
Thus, their opinion should matter. The 2016 NBA Draft class was seen as a two-player race and it seems clear which one their classmates have become enamored with.
In the recent rookie survey by NBA.com, perhaps the most important question was "which player will have the best career?" The safest answer is usually the no.1 pick (that's why he was chosen first) but the rookies had a much different opinion.
"Which rookie will have the best career?
1. Brandon Ingram, L.A. Lakers - 26.7%
2. Kris Dunn, Minnesota - 16.7%
3. Buddy Hield, New Orleans - 13.3%
T-4. Dragan Bender, Phoenix - 6.7%
Jaylen Brown, Boston - 6.7%
Jamal Murray, Denver - 6.7%
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia - 6.7%"
The LA Lakers rookie Brandon Ingram took the most votes in terms of having the best career. The other selections for the top two, Kris Dunn and Buddy Hield were perceived as the most NBA ready being relative "veterans" at the college game (while Ingram, Simmons and Brown were one-and-dones).
Ingram and Dunn also dominated the Rookie of the Year question.
Who will be the 2016-17 Kia Rookie of the Year?
1. Kris Dunn, Minnesota - 29.0%
2. Brandon Ingram, L.A. Lakers - 25.8%
3. Ben Simmons, Philadelphia - 19.4%
Ingram was seen as the "long term" contributor as opposed to Simmons. There was serious doubt on whether Ingram's lean frame could withstand the physicality of the league. Thus, they thought he might need a season or two to bulk up and get used to it.
Dunn already displayed that he's NBA ready in his brief stint at the Summer League. It was expected that he will be favored for the ROY. But Simmons finishing behind Ingram-and his poor showing in the Career question was intriguing.
SB Nation team blog for the Philadelphia 76ers Liberty Ballers cited a possible reason for the poor showing of their prized rookie.
They believe that Simmons' underwhelming college career did him in. For NBA executives and scouts, this can be easily discarded but for the rookies, this is the only time they saw him in action. While Simmons displayed his versatility, there were major questions about his character.
Writer Kyle Neubeck was quick to point out that last year, "42 percent of the voters believed Jahlil Okafor would be the Rookie of the Year last season, with Karl-Anthony Towns finishing a distant third behind Stanley Johnson." The rookies are not exactly experts and the actual draft placing should be a more reliable indicator.
For the Lakers, choosing Ingram was a no-brainer in their no.2 position. Any other team would have picked him once Simmons was off the board (except if they traded the pick). This is simply added validation for them.
