A day after the Sixers rewarded Joel Embiid by loosening the leash on his minutes restriction, the big man was rewarded by the NBA for his start to the season.
Embiid on Thursday was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in October and November.
Embiid leads all first-year players in points per game (18.2), rebounds (7.8), blocks (2.4) and three-point field goal percentage (50 percent).
Per Basketball-Reference.com, Embiid is the first NBA rookie to post such averages in points, rebounds and blocks through 12 career games since Shaquille O’Neal in 1992-93 with the Magic.
Following two missed seasons because of a foot injury, Embiid has been limited to 22.8 minutes per game, a figure that will rise after the team increased his allowed playing time per game from 24 minutes to 28.
"The statistics are not negotiable of the impact that he has defensively," Sixers head coach Brett Brown said Wednesday. "We are the second-rated defensive team in the NBA when he's on the floor. We go to 30th when he's not. Just using that as an example makes your head spin a little bit. You can talk about defense, you can talk about offense. Those extra four minutes are significant in my eyes."
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Embiid is the overwhelming favorite to win Rookie of the Year with 1/4 odds, according to Bovada.
Embiid joins Michael Carter-Williams (four times in 2013-14), Allen Iverson (twice in 1996-97) and Jerry Stackhouse (once in 1995-96) to win the award since it was created in 1981-82.
