Joel Embiid Feels 'Whatever' About Stat Line vs. Pacers on Saturday

All season long, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has dominated the competition. Coming off of a season where the big man was second in MVP voting, Embiid might've entered the new year with a chip on his shoulder.

Although Embiid often brushes off the idea of gunning for personal accomplishments as he prioritizes picking up team wins, he often admits that losing out on player accolades fuels him to be even better when he feels he is deserving.

Last year, Embiid felt he was the NBA's Most Valuable Player, but his lack of availability throughout the season due to injuries swayed voters into Nikola Jokic's direction. Therefore, Embiid entered the 2021-2022 season with a goal to remain healthy.

Clearly, Embiid's plan was a success as he's played in the most games he's played in during a single season in his entire career. But there is more to it than just staying healthy. Embiid also needed to remain dominant. He started out that way, and now he's finishing the regular season that way as well.

Going into Saturday's game against the Indiana Pacers, Embiid averaged a league-leading 30.4 points per game in 67 matchups. He was also averaging 11.6 rebounds per game. As he puts the finishing touches on his MVP campaign for this year, Embiid continues to put up impressive numbers.

On Saturday against the Indiana Pacers, the big man notched over 40 points in 36 minutes. It was his third 40-plus point game within a week's span. In addition to producing 41 points against Indiana, Embiid also collected 20 rebounds. With that stat line, he became the only player to score over 40 and snag 20 rebounds this season.

Brushing It Off

"I didn't know that," said Embiid when he found out that he was the only player to accomplish that stat this season.

"It's whatever -- like I've always said every single night I want to dominate," he continued. "Dominating can show up in a lot of different ways, whether it's offensively or defensively. Sometimes it's in the numbers, and sometimes the numbers don't show it so I guess it's good, I guess."

Knowing he's been dominant all season long, a single-game stat line doesn't seem to impress Embiid anymore. As the veteran big man has big goals not only for himself but for his team too, Embiid doesn't seem to be keeping track of his individual accomplishments.

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