The Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid and the Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray Thursday were named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in October and November.
Embiid, 22, the third pick in NBA Draft 2014 presented by State Farm, paced all rookies in scoring (18.2 ppg), rebounding (7.8 rpg), blocks (2.42 bpg) and three-point field goal percentage (50.0). He is the first rookie since Shaquille O’Neal in the 1992-93 season to post these averages through 12 games.
Murray, 19, the seventh pick in NBA Draft 2016 presented by State Farm, led all West rookies in scoring (10.4 ppg) to go with 2.8 rebounds (fourth) and 2.1 assists (fifth). He scored at least 18 points in four of six games to close the month, including a 24-point, six-rebound effort on Nov. 22 in a 110-107 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month were Boston’s Jaylen Brown, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Brandon Ingram, New York’s Willy Hernangomez, New Orleans’ Buddy Hield, Oklahoma City’s Domantas Sabonis, Philadelphia’s Dario Saric and Toronto’s Pascal Siakam.