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Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic Named NBA Players of the Month for January

Joel Embiid's start to the 2021-2022 NBA season wasn't ideal considering the season he had last year. During the 2020-2021 run, Embiid averaged 28 points while
Justin Grasso|
Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic Named NBA Players of the Month for January
Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic Named NBA Players of the Month for January

Joel Embiid's start to the 2021-2022 NBA season wasn't ideal considering the season he had last year. During the 2020-2021 run, Embiid averaged 28 points while shooting 51-percent from the field and 37-percent from three last year. He also averaged 10.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists.

At the end of the year, Embiid nearly won the NBA's Most Valuable Player award. Unfortunately for him, another center in the league also played at a high level. Therefore, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic won MVP. 

This season, Embiid started the year off slower than expected. In the first nine games, Embiid averaged 21 points, and nine rebounds, while shooting 43-percent from the field. Then, he had a battle with COVID-19 that kept him off the court for nine-straight games. Twenty games into the year, Embiid had already missed ten matchups.

But from then on, the Sixers center turned things around and started to dominate. In the month of December, Embiid averaged 29 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 50-percent from the field and 39-percent from three. His 13-game stretch rewarded him the right to be called the Eastern Conference Player of the Month.

When January rolled around, Embiid didn't slow down. Over the last 14 games, the Sixers big man played even better as he averaged 34 points, ten rebounds, and five assists while shooting 54-percent from the field and 30-percent from three.

For the second time this season, Embiid was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month, according to the NBA. Embiid shares the Player of the Month honors alongside Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.

Embiid's Player of the Month nod for his performance in January becomes his fourth-overall. He's now the first Sixers player to be named Player of the Month in consecutive months. In addition, Embiid is the second Sixer to earn the honors at least four times. The other is NBA Hall of Famer Allen Iverson. 

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

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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