Joel Embiid has gotten off to a dominant start to his third season in the league, so much so that his standards have also caught up to his bombastic performances. When asked what he considers a bad game on an individual level, the Sixers big man was his usual blunt self with his response, mentioning the 30-point mark as the bar.

“Yeah, for sure,” said Joel Embiid. “But sometimes also the ball doesn't find you, so you just gotta make sure you do the right things, especially when it comes to defense and getting my teammates open by setting good screens. But when the ball finds you, I feel like the whole season I've been able to put up 30 points consistently, thanks to my teammates and especially the coaches that have put me in the right position.”

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Following a 35-point, 18-rebound double-double on Monday against the Miami Heat, Embiid now ranks second in the league in scoring with 28.2 points per game, a shade below leader Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, who dipped below the 30-point mark after a 10-point outing in a short-lived stint against the Milwaukee Bucks, before departing with a groin injury.

Embiid has now posted 30 or more points in nine of his first 15 games of the season, a clear sign he's making an aggressive push to become the best big man in the game.

Joel Embiid even called a struggling yet sizable double-double of 14 points and 16 rebounds a “garbage” game for him, as he was slowed down to shoot 4-of-15 from the field and 6-of-10 from the foul line, where he has done most of his damage this season.

Embiid's gargantuan numbers might take a slight dip now that Jimmy Butler, a reputable 20-point scorer, has come into the mix. Butler is set to make his first start in a Sixers uniform against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.