Depending on the level of talent, the NBA rookie of the year could be a meaningless award (like last year) or an intense competition with future superstars who will dominate the league for years to come (this year). The 2017 class is loaded with one superstar after another. When the Utah Jazz lost their all-star Gordon Hayward to free agency and the Boston Celtics, they simply replaced his spot with Louisville alum Donovan Mitchell, selected with the 13th pick following a trade with the Denver Nuggets. With the second pick in the draft, the Los Angeles Lakers made the most obvious selection with UCLA’s Lonzo Ball, a player with great potential who has not fully lived up to his hype yet. Whether it’s his lack of a jump shot, or his father grabbing headlines, Ball will not be receiving this award. His teammate, Kyle Kuzma, selected with the 27th pick after a trade with the Brooklyn Nets, is actually having a much better year. He is one of the best rookie scores of the last decade. He can shoot, slash and dunk.

Most year’s, the number one pick is considered a front-runner for the rookie of the year award. But this year’s pick by Philadelphia, Markell Fultz, has missed almost the entire season with an injury. Fortunately for the 76ers, last year’s number one pick, Ben Simmons (after sitting out last year), is playing like the next Magic Johnson. With all this top talent, I still haven’t discussed the third pick by the Boston Celtics, Jayson Tatum, who is playing quality minutes for one of the best teams in the league. Tatum can do it all, a special talent who plays both offense and defense superbly. The Celtics likely got themselves a steal when they swapped the first pick with the Sixers, and added another first round pick for the upcoming draft.

When the Chicago Bulls traded Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves, some criticized the team for not receiving enough in return. But the trade brought the Bulls Lauri Markkanen, a 7-0 freak from the University of Arizona who many are comparing to Knicks superstar Kristaps Porzingis. Markkanen can shoot, post up and defend with the best in the league. Knicks’ fans might be wondering where Frank Ntilikina falls in this discussion. The young point guard from France has showed flashes of excellent play to give fans hope for the future. But he is simply not close to being in the discussion for rookie of the year. In fact, the player selected one slot before him, Dennis Smith Jr., by the Dallas Mavericks, has earned tremendous praise from the likes of LeBron James, who publicly criticized the Knicks for passing on him.

So who really deserves the rookie of the year award?

Let’s start with the slasher. Donovan Mitchell is averaging 18.8 points 1.5 steals and 3.4 rebounds while shooting an impressive 43% from the field and 85% at the free throw line. These are amazing stats. In addition, Mitchell is relentless on the defensive end with his hustle and work ethic. The Jazz love his attitude as he is often the first one in the gym. The Nuggets are going to regret trading his draft rights for Trey Lyles and Tyler Lydon.

Now for the Lakers best rookie, Kyle Kuzma. He is averaging 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game as the 27th pick. He is shooting 46% from the floor but only 70% from the foul line. His 37% from the three-point line is one of his better stats, especially for a rookie. Kuzma impressed the Lakers greatly during the summer league in Las Vegas and hasn’t stopped during the regular season. If he improves his shooting percentages, Kuzma will definitely be in the running for the award. Comparing anyone to Kobe Bryant is unfair, but Kuzma has definitely receiving greater praise than his counterpart Ball.

The Lakers longtime rival, the Boston Celtics, must be very pleased with the early results from their draft-night trade with the Sixers. Jayson Tatum has been on fire since opening night while Fultz has only played four games, averaging 4.0 ppg while shooting an ugly 33% from the floor. Granted, Fultz did suffer a bad shoulder injury but FPM superstar Brian Fox also suffered an early season injury and he has gone on to score his 1,000 point while the Knights are primed to contend for a county championship this year. As for Tatum, he is shooting 50% from the floor, 46% from three-point range and 82% from the free throw line. The guy simply doesn’t miss. After the devastating injury to Gordon Hayward, I thought the Celtics would struggle to be a top three team in the Eastern Conference. But with the help from Tatum, the Celtics are serious contenders for the number one seed.

Now to Ben Simmons, the next Magic Johnson. Simmons, part of the one and only “Process” is helping the Sixers make a huge playoff run. Simmons, a 6-11 complete point guard, has already become the team leader. After taking his first year following LSU off, Simmons looks like he is well on his way to being a perennial all-star in the NBA. He has amazing court vision and is a physical freak. Simmons is averaging 16.4 mpg, 7.4 rebounds and 8.1 assists, stunning numbers. He is also shooting over 50% from the field. With Joe Embiid in the middle, Simmons looks like he can lead Philadelphia to an NBA championship within the next five years. I really think he can be better than Giannis and Russell Westbrook. Simmons is my favorite rookie.

As for the next Porzingis, Markkanen was the faster player to ever hit 100 three pointers. Heading into the draft, Markkanen was a difficult player for teams to evaluate. At the University of Arizona, he was not the best rebounder (four a game) even though he stands seven feet tall. But his first season with the Bulls has been outstanding. With 15.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg and one block, Markkanen has definitely made his mark. He is also shooting an astounding 85% from the free throw line, 23 percentage points higher than the average for NBA power forwards. The Bulls have themselves a future star.

If not for the Dallas Mavericks’ decision to rest Dennis Smith Jr. on several nights, he just might be in the running with this star-studded group. Don’t be surprised in a few years if Smith Jr. is leading the Mavericks as one of the best players in the league. But my vote goes to Simmons, who is going to lead the 76ers to the playoffs for the first time since 2012.