Ben Simmons undoubtedly Rookie of the Year, he says

Ben Simmons has little doubt who should be the NBA Rookie of the Year.

"Who would I pick? Me, 100 percent," the Philadelphia 76ers point guard told ESPN on Saturday in comments that were published Monday.

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell is widely considered Simmons' competition for the award, which will be announced June 25. Mitchell is averaging 20.5 points per game, tops among first-year players, and he needed an NBA-record low of 63 games to hit 150 3-pointers.

Simmons, however, has his own impressive resume. He has 12 triple-doubles, second in league history for a rookie, behind only Oscar Robertson's 26 in 1960-61. Also, Simmons is averaging 16 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game.

"If you look at the numbers, you will see. People who know the game know who the better player is," Simmons said.

On Twitter, Mitchell responded with a bit of an eye roll and the caption, "Okay ..."

Simmons, the NBA's reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, does not want to hear talk that he is not a true rookie because he was drafted in 2016 but missed last season with a broken foot.

"Coming off a broken foot is definitely not an edge, but people are always going to say what they want to say," Simmons said. "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 there." — Field Level Media/Reuters