Embiid, Leonard named Players of the Week

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard have been named the NBA Players of the Week for games played between Jan. 16 and Jan. 22, the league announced Monday.

Fans have grown accustomed to Embiid dominating his rookie class, but now he's hanging with the big boys. The 22-year-old put up 22 points, 10.3 boards, and 3.7 blocks in under 26 minutes per game over the week, with his team going undefeated with him in the lineup. His brilliance at both ends of the court and delightful tomfoolery on social media even earned him enough fan votes to start in the All-Star Game.

Leonard, meanwhile, averaged a conference-leading 36.3 points per game to go along with six rebounds and 4.7 assists for the No. 2 Spurs, who went 3-0. The DPOY contender's week was highlighted by his career-high 41 points in San Antonio's 118-115 victory over the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday. He's scored 30-plus points in six straight contests.

Other candidates:

Eastern Conference: Dennis Schroder, Isaiah Thomas, Kemba Walker, Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris

Western Conference: Kevin Durant, Goran Dragic, Karl-Anthony Towns, Eric Bledsoe, Rudy Gobert