Joel Embiid Isn't Too Worried About This Year's NBA All-Star Game

When he first entered the NBA, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid seemed to have only two goals in mind. One happened to be getting healthy. As Embiid got drafted to Philly, the big man was sporting a cast on his foot from surgery. Therefore, he ended up missing his entire first season as an NBA player.

His second goal happened to be making the NBA All-Star game. Initially, when he came into the league, Embiid was feeling himself. Knowing he could become one of the best bigs in the NBA so early on, the Sixers' center needed to be voted into the All-Star game for what seemed like a sense of validation.

Now that he's been named a starter in the All-Star Game for the third consecutive season, Embiid isn't too focused on the meaningless matchup. Instead, Embiid is setting his sights on the second half of the NBA season.

Going into the 2019-2020 NBA season, 76ers head coach Brett Brown made a bold claim. He mentioned the team's goal was to secure the first seed in the Eastern Conference. Seeing as though the chances of locking in that number one spot is almost impossible, Philly is going to have to instead, fight for the second seed.

As of right now, the Sixers aren't in the most exceptional shape. As it stands on Saturday, January 25th, the 76ers are in sixth place in the East with a record of 29-17. Although the battle for second place in the East is still pretty tight, the Sixers remain three and a half games back from it. Getting there isn't impossible -- but it's undoubtedly not going to be easy.

Lately, the Sixers have been playing short-handed. With Embiid nursing a hand injury, the big man is impatiently waiting to get back out on the court. On Friday, Embiid mentioned that an injury of his sort, followed by surgery, would typically take a month to heal. However, the Sixers' center doesn't seem willing to wait that long.

"I feel good, I think my finger feels good," Embiid said on Friday, after participating in a full-speed, full-contact practice for the first time in a while. When asked about getting voted into the All-Star game once again, Embiid didn't have his typical excited reaction. Instead, he practically shrugged it off and said he wasn't concerned.

"Right now, we are sixth in the East," Embiid said. "Next week, I'm hoping to play." While the Sixers did a serviceable job without Embiid, going 5-3, the team understands they don't have a lot of room for error in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers need Embiid back, and the veteran big man understands that.

Making the All-Star team as a starter for the third season in a row for the first time since Allen Iverson did it in the early 2000s is a great honor. But at this point in Embiid's career, he's more worried about championships -- not personal accolades. It hasn't been confirmed if Embiid will play in Chicago or not, but the center surely doesn't sound as eager this time around.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_