76ers: Joel Embiid’s Dominant Week Earns Recognition

On Monday night, the NBA announced the top two players of the previous week. For the Western Conference, New Orleans Pelicans superstar Zion Williamson earned his first Player of the Week nod. In the Eastern Conference, the winner was Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid.

The Player of the Week nod counts as Embiid’s second for the season. It will be the ninth time Embiid has earned the Player of the Weeks recognition in the big man’s seven-year career.

Winning the weekly award doesn’t come as much of a surprise, considering Embiid was extremely dominant in matchups over the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Charlotte Hornets.

Last Monday, the Sixers wrapped up a three-game road trip in Houston. In the double-overtime loss against the Rockets, Embiid appeared on the court for 35 minutes. He drained 57 percent of his shots and went 14-17 from the free-throw line. Embiid wrapped up the matchup with 39 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks.

After getting a few days off between games, Embiid and the Sixers returned to the court in South Philly on Friday night to host the Los Angeles Lakers.

Once again, the Sixers needed overtime to settle the final results. Embiid played for 46 minutes last Friday. The big man was highly-efficient from the field, draining 74 percent of his 19 shots.

He also went 3-4 from beyond the arc and was nearly perfect from the charity stripe by hitting on seven of his eight free throws. Embiid wrapped up the overtime victory against the Lakers with 38 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and one steal.

Sunday night’s matchup against the Hornets was by far Embiid’s best. After snagging a 59-point game earlier in the season, Embiid became the first player to have multiple 50-plus-point outings this year on Sunday night against Charlotte.

In 34 minutes of action, Embiid hit on 62 percent of his 32 shots, knocking down multiple three-pointers. Embiid wrapped up the 18-point victory with 53 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, and one block.

With last week’s three-game slate in the rearview, Embiid wrapped up the week averaging 43 points, ten rebounds, and four assists. He knockdown 64 percent of his shots from the field and hit on 67 percent of his threes while averaging 39 minutes on the floor.

With another Eastern Conference Player of the Week nod under his belt, Embiid is one step closer to catching Allen Iverson, who holds a franchise-best 20 weekly honors with the 76ers.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.