This week in 76ers basketball kind of felt like garbage again. A win against Orlando that was so close that it felt like a loss, and a spirit crushing loss in Boston. That being said, the 76ers did pick up a great, gritty win against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night and it really felt like a season saver. It was ugly, and the lows were very low, but Philadelphia ended up getting through this week 2-1, and for that I can be grateful.

So, who’s the 76ers Player of the Week? Realistically, nobody played all that well. I was tempted to give it to Seth Curry again due to his strong play against Orlando and Atlanta. However, I think this week meant a little bit more for this player:

Joel Embiid

I know you have all seen his reaction after Friday’s win against the Hawks, you can just tell that this has been a long road so far this season for Embiid. He has battled his knee injury, a terrible bout with COVID, and his co-star being MIA throughout the first few months of the year. Joel Embiid has shouldered the weight of the franchise as its star player, and I think we all realized how difficult that is for him.

I’m not even going to talk about Boston, in my mind that game never even happened because I’ve bitched about it enough already. Against Atlanta, in what felt like a must win game, Embiid dropped 28 points and 12 rebounds.

The 76ers’ defense held Atlanta to just nine points in the fourth quarter, and they actually played well down the stretch for once. It was beautiful to see, Joel hit a massive jumper with a little under a minute left, and his defense on the last play forced a tough missed shot. This game felt like a momentum boost, and a necessary one.

Embiid was the catalyst to one of the most important wins of the season so far, that is why he is my 76ers Player of the Week. Here’s to hoping he keeps the foot on the gas so I can talk more about him next Monday!