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The NBA announced today that Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and forward Dario Saric were named to the 2016-17 NBA All-Rookie First Team as voted on by a panel of 130 sportswriters and broadcasters. The voting panel each selected five players for the first team and five players for the second team, regardless of position. Saric was a unanimous selection. He and Embiid are the first teammates to earn the recognition since Seattle’s Kevin Durant and Jeff Green in 2007-2008.
Embiid and Saric are the 13th and 14th players in franchise history to earn All-Rookie First Team honors. It’s also the fourth consecutive year a Sixers player has been named All-Rookie First Team. Only the Knicks have had a longer such streak, seeing a player named All-Rookie First Team in five consecutive seasons from 1964-68.
Embiid appeared in 31 games (all starts), averaging 20 points, eight rebounds, two assists and three blocks in 25 minutes per game. He shot 47 percent from the field, 37 percent from three-point range and 78 percent from the free-throw line. He led all rookies in points, rebounds and blocks per game. His averages in points, rebounds and blocks per game were the highest of any NBA rookie since the Clippers’ Blake Griffin, who was named 2011 Rookie of the Year.
The Cameroon native scored 20 or more points 19 times in his rookie season, which was the most such performances among rookies. Embiid posted at least 20 points in 10 straight games from December 23-January 18, as he became the first rookie to score 20-plus in at least 10 consecutive contests since Griffin did so in 14 straight. He scored in double-figures in his first 15 career games and in 30 of his 31 games overall. He was one of six NBA rookies to score at least 10 points in 30 or more games in 2016-17.
Saric appeared in 81 games (36 starts), averaging 13 points, six rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes per game. He shot 41 percent from the field, 31 percent from three-point range and 78 percent from the free-throw line. He led all qualified rookies in points per game and was second in field-goal and free-throw percentage.
The Croatian native scored 20 or more points 14 times in his rookie season, which was the second-most such performances among rookies. He scored in double-figures in 22 straight games between February 6 and March 24 – the longest streak by an NBA rookie in 2016-17 and the longest by a Sixers rookie since Allen Iverson scored 10-plus in 26 straight in 1996-97. His 50 overall games with at least 10 points led all rookies.
