Another month has gone by and Joel Embiid continues his reign as the best rookie in the NBA. The Sixers’ budding star has earned the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award yet again, as he’s collected the honor in each month this season.
Congrats to @JoelEmbiid on another Rookie of the Month award! https://t.co/s33VkEtY66
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 2, 2017
Embiid is much deserving of the award, as he averaged 23 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three blocks in 27 minutes per game in the nine games he played in January. The Sixers went 7-2 in those nine games, en route to a 10-5 month that saw them climb ahead of the Magic for the 13th spot in the East.
Despite his limited action, Embiid has been a dominant force for the Sixers and without any other standout rookies, he’s the clear leader in the race for the league’s Rookie of the Year award. The next best rookie in the Eastern Conference is Malcolm Brogdon, who’s been great of late, averaging 11.1 points, 5.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds in January. In the Western Conference, Marquese Chriss of the Phoenix Suns earned Rookie of the Month honors with 8.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game in January.
Embiid is averaging numbers that the league hasn’t seen from a rookie big man since Shaq, with 20 points, eight rebounds and three blocks per game through 31 games this season. Not only is he one of the league’s best players, but he’s also the best in the NBA at social media. Embiid is a treasure, and it’s been a long time coming but Sixers fans have themselves a star.
