Ben Simmons Named Eastern Conference Player of the Week

It has been a solid two weeks for the Philadelphia 76ers when it comes to specific individual performances. Just last week, Sixers' 26-year-old shooting guard, Josh Richardson, picked up the Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors for his dominant play during the three-game stretch against the Thunder, Celtics, and the Mavericks.

Now this week, another Sixers' player has earned the right to be called the Conference's Player of the Week. 76ers versatile point guard, Ben Simmons, will don the title for this week as he is the second Sixer to be named Player of the Week this season.

Ironically, Simmons was the last Sixer to win that weekly award before Richardson picked it up. However, Simmons' last honor came in March of last year. As of late, the third-year guard has been on a mission for the Sixers.

As Philly is currently without their star center, Joel Embiid, somebody had to step up for them on both sides of the ball. It's already evident that Simmons is going to hold it down on the defensive side of the ball for the Sixers, but this season his offensive contributions haven't been as helpful as they were last season -- until now, that is.

All fourth-quarter criticism aside, Simmons has been getting the job done for the Sixers by helping produce on offense. With games against the Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, and the New York Knicks, Simmons has averaged 21 points-per-game over that span, shooting no less than 58-percent from the field.

The key number everybody is worried about, however, happens to be the overall record during that span. Since Simmons' big week began, the Sixers went 3-1.

The timing couldn't be any better considering that they started last week off with a loss to the Pacers, notching a 2-6 record since the Christmas day game. Since that loss, Simmons has helped lead the Sixers to a 3-0 record. Now, we'll see if they can build on that streak with a win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday afternoon.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_