By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Philadelphia 76ers have had a great month of January, posting a 5-1 record in six games. This past week, they've notched wins over the top seeded Celtics, second seed Raptors and eighth seeded Bucks. Center Joel Embiid has been phenomenal over the recent stretch and he's been rewarded for his performance this past week, earning Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors.
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard have been named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 22, 2018
Embiid, 23, averaged 29.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 blocks in the three games last week, shooting 54.2 percent from the floor and 81.4 percent from the free throw line. Prior to the Sixers' win against Boston last week, Embiid was voted as an All-Star starter for the Eastern Conference and will participate in the star-studded showcase next month in Los Angeles. He's the first Sixer since Allen Iverson in 2010 to be named an All-Star starter. Embiid also won Player of the Week back in January of last season, becoming the first player to win the award multiple times in a Sixers uniform since Andre Miller in 2007-2008, per Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com.
After missing his first two full seasons with foot surgeries, Joel Embiid battled minute restrictions en route to a strong rookie campaign in 2016-17. A meniscus tear sidelined the big man after just 31 games though. Now fully healthy for the most part, Embiid has been a leader on and off the court for the Sixers this season.
In 33 games for Philadelphia this season, the 7-foot-2 big man out of Cameroon is averaging 24 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game, shooting 49 percent from the floor.
