Michael Carter-Williams becomes first rookie since Shaq to win Conference Player of the Week to begin NBA career

Forgive the lengthy headline, but the feat achieved by Michael Carter-Williams during his first week in the NBA requires an extended explanation.

The Sixers’ guard burst onto the scene with some monster statistical performances that helped his team to a surprising 3-0 start to the season. The effort was good enough to earn him Conference Player of the Week honors, and along with it, an extremely rare distinction.

Carter-Williams became the first player to win the award following his first week in the league since Shaquille O’Neal did it back in 1992, according to the league’s official release, which also dug a little deeper into his numbers:

In his first three NBA games, Carter-Williams averaged 20.7 points and team highs of 9.0 steals and 4.3 steals. In his NBA debut on Oct. 30, a 114-110 home win over the Heat, Carter-Williams recorded 22 points, 12 assists, nine steals and seven rebounds. The nine steals were the most by a rookie in his NBA debut, while the 12 assists represented the second most for a player in his first NBA game (Buffalo’s Ernie DiGregorio dished 14 assists in his NBA debut in 1973)

Impressive on all accounts, and obviously, we’ll have to see at what level the production will continue over the long grind of the 82-game regular season.

Kevin Love, meanwhile, took home the Western Conference honor with a points per game average of 29.7, good enough to lead the league through the first week of the season.