For the third time this season, Philadelphia 76ers’ big man and reigning MVP Joel Embiid has been named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week. This marks the 14th time in his career that Embiid has earned the nod, with only Allen Iverson (20) earning more Player of the Week distinctions in franchise history.
It’s been another stellar week for the big fella. Scoring a league-best 37.8 points per game, Embiid led the Sixers to an undefeated 4-0 week, in which he scored a whopping 151 points in total – 42 more than the second-highest total scorer, according to the Sixers’ press release.
A week highlighted by Embiid v Jokic
The highlight of the week undoubtedly came with a huge win over reigning NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets. Embiid put up an unreal 41 points and 10 assists, marking his 17th straight 30 point double-double – the fifth-longest such streak in NBA history. By the end of the week, Embiid had nabbed a 20-game streak of scoring 30 points or more and continues to lead the league in scoring for the third straight season.
Through 31 games played this season, Embiid now averages 35.0 points per game (53.6 percent shooting), 11.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. He remains on track to finish the season with a 35-10-5 stat line and would be only the second player in history to do so after Wilt Chamberlain.
If Sixers fans were worried that Embiid’s injury troubles in late December and early-to-mid January would hamper his performance going forward in the regular season, this record-breaking week surely put those concerns to rest. The reigning MVP continues to outdo himself, and every time you think he’s hit his peak, he somehow gets even better.
