Donovan Mitchell offers support to fellow ROY candidate Ben Simmons after rough night

Since the last couple of weeks of the regular season, there has been a brewing rivalry between rookies Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell and Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons that has centered around the Rookie of the Year award. The two are widely believed to be the top two favorites to secure the honor this season.

There have been constant verbal and subtle jabs at each other through the media that has only grown louder the further the playoffs roll along. Following a forgettable Game 2 performance from Simmons against the Boston Celtics where he had just one point while committing five turnovers, Mitchell offered his support toward the fellow 21-year-old, according to Tim McMahon of ESPN.

“The biggest thing that people don’t understand is that every player has that night,” Mitchell said after the Utah Jazz’s shootaround Friday in preparation for Game 3 against the Houston Rockets. “You look at LeBron [James] against the Mavs in the Finals, he had eight points [in Game 4]. There was one year I was watching [James] Harden play against the Warriors, and he had about 10 turnovers in a playoff game. So it happens to everybody.

“It just so happens that it happened to [Simmons], and I expect him to respond back. He’s a good player. Good players respond back, and it’s all about the response. It’s a testament to his character. But it happens. He can’t play great every night. It’s not as easy as some people think.”

There is much credence to what Mitchell has stated that some of the league’s biggest stars have had their off nights at moments that they wouldn’t particularly anticipate it occurring in the playoffs. Simmons has been a large reason why the 76ers have reached the second round of the playoffs behind his solid all-around play on the court.

His porous offensive performance had become a bigger storyline due to the fact that 76ers blew a 22-point lead on the road that could have tied the series at a game apiece heading into Game 3 when the series shifts to the Wells Fargo Center. Instead, Philadelphia now is in a precarious position of having to navigate themselves out of a 2-0 series deficit.

Saturday’s contest should provide Simmons and the 76ers a chance to bounce back and finally get some momentum in the series against the Celtics.