Despite achieving a career-high of 70 points against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, Joel Embiid remains unwavering in his commitment to securing an NBA championship for the Philadelphia 76ers.
In a post-game interview, Embiid expressed, “It doesn’t really mean anything until you win the whole thing,” emphasizing his priority on team success over personal achievements.
Throughout the 2023-24 season, the reigning MVP has consistently underscored his focus on pursuing a championship rather than individual accolades. This commitment stems from the 76ers’ repeated playoff disappointments during his career.
Joel Embiid has his eyes on the prize 🍿 pic.twitter.com/qhvmCkSIEA
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 23, 2024
On January 15, Embiid conveyed to reporters that he is not fixated on meeting the 65-game threshold for award consideration but is solely concentrating on maintaining his health for the postseason.
“It doesn’t matter how many games I play; the goal is to be healthy the rest of the year,” he affirmed, as reported by Dan Gelston of the Associated Press.
While Embiid downplays his personal accomplishments, his exceptional all-around performance played a pivotal role in the 76ers’ 133-123 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
https://t.co/VaXPisM2D3 pic.twitter.com/5luetARNuc
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 23, 2024
In addition to setting a franchise record with 70 points, he contributed 18 rebounds and five assists. Notably, the only other player to match these numbers in a game is Michael Jordan, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
Embiid dominated in the paint, with the majority of his 41 field goal attempts coming inside the arc. Only two of his shots were three-pointers. His stat line also included a block and a steal.
If he maintains his current scoring average of 36.1 points per game for the remainder of the season, it would be the highest single-season mark since James Harden’s 2018-19 campaign.
Considering the potential for Embiid to participate in 65 games, he could be on track to secure his second consecutive MVP trophy.
