Midseason NBA Rookie of the Year race: Joel Embiid continues to shine
USA TODAY Sports’ top three candidates for the 2016-17 NBA Rookie of the Year award (through Saturday, Jan. 21).
► Midseason power rankings: Jazz nearing top five, Bucks falling
► Midseason MVP race: Kawhi Leonard back in top five
Also receiving votes: Los Angeles Lakers' Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans' Buddy Hield
3. Dario Saric, Philadelphia 76ers
Saric struggled mightily from the field on Friday against Portland and Saturday against Atlanta, making just two of his 22 shot attempts. But the rookie forward put together one of the best performances of his young career in a win over the Bucks on Monday, scoring 17 points (on 6-of-11 shooting) to go along with nine rebounds and four assists. On the season, he's averaging 9.4 points and 5.9 rebounds — numbers that trail only Joel Embiid on the rookie leaderboards.
“If Joel Embiid weren’t in the league, you’d have to talk about (Saric) in consideration for Rookie of the Year,” 76ers coach Brett Brown said recently, per CSN Philadelphia. “There is an appeal that he has developed, I feel, from our fans. They respect him. How can you not? He is so blue collar. I think the plays he makes, the effort-based plays, the physical plays just count for everything. ... I hope that he recognizes we appreciate his passion and we appreciate how he plays.”
2. Malcolm Brogdon, Milwaukee Bucks
Brogdon hasn't been nearly as efficient during the Bucks' current five-game losing streak, particularly during Saturday's loss to the Heat, where he made just one of his 10 shot attempts and only had four points, two rebounds and two assists. On the season, though, the 24-year-old rookie is averaging 9.3 points, 4 assists, 2.8 rebounds and has found his niche as a member of Milwaukee's starting unit alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker.
1. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Though he wasn't selected as one of the three Eastern Conference frontcourt starters for the All-Star Game, Embiid put together another week of dominance for the 76ers, who have the NBA's fifth-best record since the turn of the new year. The 7-footer started the week with a 22-point, 12-rebound, five-block performance in a win over the Bucks, followed by 26 points and nine rebounds in a win over the Raptors and 18 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four blocks in a win over the Trail Blazers. He's averaging 19.8 points (second among Eastern Conference centers), 7.8 rebounds (ninth) and 2.47 blocks (first) on the season — numbers that might just earn him an All-Star spot on the Eastern Conference reserves, which are announced Thursday.
List of voters: USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt, Sam Amick, Kevin Spain, AJ Neuharth-Keusch and Michael Singer; The Arizona Republic's Doug Haller; The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal's Ronald Tillery; Detroit Free Press' Vince Ellis; Indianapolis Star's Nate Taylor; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Charles Gardner; The (Bergen) Record's Steve Popper; HoopsHype.com's Jorge Sierra and Raul Barrigon; USA TODAY Sports Weekly's Howard Megdal.