The Sixers have won two of this season’s first three Eastern Conference Player of the Week awards.
Joel Embiid received that honor Monday for the 12th time in his career after averaging 36.3 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists for the 8-1 Sixers, who sport the NBA’s best record. They’ll go for a ninth consecutive win Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center when they complete a two-game mini-series vs. the Pacers.
Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards was the West’s Player of the Week.
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Under new Sixers head coach Nick Nurse, Embiid’s assist-to-usage ratio, offensive rebounding and block percentages have all increased. The reigning MVP and two-time scoring champion has still posted 32.4 points per game, too.
“I think Joel’s whole mindset … people talk about, ‘What’s the definition of a great player?’ A great player makes others around him better,” Nurse said Sunday night. “And I really think Joel’s taking that. Even from my initial conversations with him, he understands that he’s got the ability to create for others and also just create motivation for them, too. So he’s doing a good job at that, leadership-wise.”
Tyrese Maxey’s career-high 50-point game Sunday wasn’t deemed enough to edge out Embiid, though the 23-year-old was among the Eastern Conference’s other nominees.
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Maxey, who earned the season’s first East Player of the Week award, averaged 31.5 points, 8.0 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals over the Sixers’ victories against the Wizards, Celtics, Pistons and Pacers.