Joel Embiid Has 'Nothing to Prove' After Missing Battle vs. Jokic

Joel Embiid missed the rematch against Nikola Jokic, which affected his status as the league's MVP favorite. On Wednesday, he addressed the latest narrative.

Joel Embiid has made it known on numerous occasions as of late that he isn’t concerned about the NBA’s tight MVP race. 

Although the Philadelphia 76ers star is in the running for the award for the third-straight season, Embiid has verbally expressed that he’s prioritizing the success of the team, not his personal success in the MVP race.

Before Monday’s matchup between the Sixers and the Denver Nuggets, Embiid was widely viewed as the favorite to win the award over the two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. After missing the matchup against Jokic due to calf tightness, Embiid found himself behind the Nuggets’ center once again on most lists.

The popular narrative going around now is that Embiid’s absence from Monday’s game was a situation where the Sixers’ center was “ducking” from the matchup. After Embiid’s return to the court against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night, the star center sounded off on that idea.

“I don't care,” Embiid told reporters, according to the Philly Voice. “Like I said, it's all about the playoffs. If one game is going to hurt anybody's chances, then I guess everybody should be out of it. We all have bad games guys miss matchups that's not the first time and it's not really a matchup about me and Nicola. He's a great player, amazing player. Like I always say, back-to-back MVPs he's one of the best players in the league, and I'm a huge fan. Not playing against him was a huge bummer, but there's a bigger goal in sight. That's to make sure we're healthy for the playoffs. 

"I got nothing to prove," he continued. "The last matchup, we won, and I had whatever I had. And to go out there and say I'm scared after what I did the last time it's just stupid. Like I said, I don't care if I win it or not. I'm just focused on trying to win a championship and whatever happens, happens. If I win, great. And if I don't win anything, I don't care.”

The first and only time Embiid faced Jokic and the Nuggets this season was back in January. Embiid checked into the matchup for 38 minutes. During that time, he put on an MVP-caliber performance by draining 47 points and coming down with 18 rebounds. He also dished out five assists, snatched three steals, and blocked two shots.

Embiid’s standout performance in the matchup helped lead the Sixers past the Nuggets with a notable seven-point win. While many wanted to see how Embiid would follow up against Jokic months later, a minor injury prevented the rematch from happening.

It seems Embiid’s absence, which eventually resulted in a Jokic triple-double, affected the MVP race. But Embiid definitely isn’t out of it just yet. With a handful of games left to go, Embiid still has time to improve his campaign as the season winds down. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.