Joel Embiid is endorsing Dario Saric for Rookie of the Year.

Saric scored a career high 29 points to go with seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block in the Philadelphia 76ers' 118-116 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

“He’s the rookie of the year,” Embiid said of his rookie teammate. “That’s the guy.”

Embiid was the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year until his knee injury.

“It doesn’t surprise me,” Brett Brown said of Embiid’s comment. “I’ve heard Joel say that, not a lot, but he means it. I think it’s a reflection of Joel first. I think it’s an example that it’s a very close team and I think it confirms our belief that one of those two is going to end up with rookie of the year.”