Ben Simmons’ Rookie of the Year Odds Take a Turn

The race for NBA Rookie of the Year isn't as open-and-shut as it initially appeared.

Ben Simmons is still the heavy favorite but his odds have dropped substantially over the last month. On Dec. 1, Bovada listed Simmons at 1/20. As of Jan. 2, he is 2/13.

That's about a 67 percent drop for Simmons. It's related both to Simmons' slowing down a bit and the continued emergences of Donovan Mitchell and Kyle Kuzma.

When the odds came out last month, Simmons had played 20 games and was averaging 18.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 2.3 steals.

Simmons proceeded to have a few down games - Pistons, T-Wolves, Knicks, Nuggets (to be fair, all games the Sixers won) - and he's now averaging 16.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.9 steals.

Meanwhile, Mitchell and Kuzma continue to lead their teams on offense. Mitchell, who some have compared to a young Dwyane Wade, is averaging 18.2 points and making 2.2 threes per game. In the time between Bovada's Dec. 1 and Jan. 2 updates, Mitchell averaged 23.1 points, shooting 51 percent from the field and 88 percent from the line.

The ever-confident Kuzma has been much better for the Lakers than Lonzo Ball, who is currently sidelined by a shoulder injury. Kuzma is averaging 17.5 points and 6.5 rebounds, shooting 47 percent from the field and nearly 40 percent from three.