It is no secret Joel Embiid has been the most dominant player in the NBA for the past month. We’ve been saying it for awhile, and now, guys like Shaq are giving the big man the recognition he deserves.

With Joel Embiid now taking center stage as the MVP front-runner among betting odds, it seems even the Association themselves have finally realized the big man deserves some credit. The NBA announced Monday Joel Embiid is your Eastern Conference Player of the Week, and rightfully so.

Shockingly, this is only the first time during the month of January Joel Embiid has been given this honor. In case you were living under a rock last week, the NBA decided to give last week’s award to Trae Young. Keep in mind, over that week Embiid averaged 40 points a game, nine more than Young.

During Week 15 of the NBA season, Joel Embiid averaged 34.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game. That stretch saw the 76ers go a perfect 3-0 on the week, including a prime-time win over the LeBron-less Lakers. Keep in mind Embiid was still averaging more points than minutes played, a streak that is still active in Embiid’s last eight outings.

With this nomination, Joel Embiid has now won Eastern Player of the Week six times in his career, this being the first of the 2021-22 NBA season. Interestingly enough, the last time Embiid won POTW was nearly the same time last year, with both Joel and Jokic taking home the award on January 25th, 2021.

Back in December, Joel Embiid won Player of the Month in the East, and it is hard to imagine the NBA giving January’s award to anyone else after the single best month of his career. Embiid will finish this month averaging an absurd 34 points, 10.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.5 blocks a game on just 32.1 minutes of action. During that span, Embiid claimed his third career triple-double, two 40+ point outings, and an efficient 50 point game in only 27 minutes of action.

In the month of January, Joel Embiid’s play has shot the 76ers up from the seventh to third spot in the Eastern Conference standings. Philly currently holds a 30-19 record on the year, and an astonishing 11-3 record this month. While that record will likely finish 11-4 thanks to an Embiid rest day tonight against the 35-17 Grizzlies, there is no denying that Joel Embiid has been the best player in the world in 2022.

Mandatory Credit: Tim Nwachukwu.