He won’t rise to the bait. The conceit was for Joel Embiid to look into the camera and praise his 76ers teammate Ben Simmons -- at the expense of Shaquille O’Neal -- by affirming that Simmons was the best player to come out of LSU in the last 25 years. Of course, we all know that that distinction goes to “The Diesel.” This is the point of the gag. But Embiid can’t do it. “Shaq’s my man,” he says. And this is part of the 23-year-old Embiid’s goofy charm; while he loudtalks his contemporaries, both in person and on Twitter, he’s nothing but respectful to his big man elders, whether it’s Shaq, Hakeem Olajuwon or David Robinson.

Joel Embiid talks about his solid season and more with David Aldridge.

Having that knowledge of past greats is also part of why Embiid is poised to join their ranks in due course, as long as he can stay healthy going forward. Injuries are the only reason he didn’t go first overall in the 2014 Draft after his one season at Kansas. He slide to third and was scarfed up by then-Sixers GM Sam Hinkie, who felt Embiid fit in perfectly with Hinkie’s notion of getting the most talent possible on his roster, no matter its current shape, and patiently waiting for that talent to explode.

Embiid has, after fits and starts and surgeries delayed his NBA debut by two years. He was so dominant in 31 games last season -- another injury-shortened campaign -- that there was serious consideration by serious people to give him the Kia Rookie of the Year award anyway. Philly did that one better; despite the setbacks and worries about Embiid’s future health, the Sixers didn’t hesitate in putting a $148 million max deal on the table for Embiid in October.

The Starters debated Joel Embiid's Rookie of the Year hopes last season.

With his back account swole, Embiid has happily returned to displaying his breathtaking array of skills on the court -- 23.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, two blocks per game -- that has Philly fans chanting “Trust the Process” every time Embiid touches the ball. No big has every displayed all of the above -- low-post dominance, a feathery jumper that extends well past the 3-point line, the occasional Eurostep and lightning quickness on defense -- that Embiid has in his bag. And, like Shaq, Embiid does all of that while dominating social media as well -- courting Rihanna, picking Twitter fights with fellow bigs Andre Drummond and Hassan Whiteside, running "Rocky"-style through the streets of Philly.

Even DeMarcus Cousins likes him.

And Embiid has the 76ers off to their best start in years, with the fans and buzz returning to Wells Fargo Center. Considering that Embiid, a native of Cameroon, started playing basketball just seven years ago, all of this is remarkable. With Ben Simmons looking like a lock for Kia Rookie of the Year, and 2017 first overall pick Markelle Fultz not even on the floor at full strength yet, the Sixers look to be a force for years to come. Which is right with Embiid’s timeline. A decade or so should allow him to make his case for what he genuinely believes: he can be the best big man ever. Even better than Shaq.

Me: Who did you want to meet at the SI Awards that you got to meet?

Joel Embiid: Obviously, there was (Jose) Altuve. I went to the baseball game, the World Series, in Houston, so I got to witness, actually, when they won Game 5. That was a pretty good game. And I’m a big fan of J.J. Watt, too. And Beyonce was there, so it was great. That was the first time seeing her in person. I met Jay-Z like the week before that. So that was great.

Me: You and I spoke a couple of weeks ago, and I meant to ask then: how rewarding is it to be at the end of the The Process?

JE: Well, The Process is never going to end. It’s an ongoing thing. I don’t think it’s ever going to stop. As I have explained before, it’s a process for making it to the playoffs, it’s another one to make the conference finals, another one to actually go to The Finals and win the championship. And when you actually win it, you’ve got to come back the following year and do it all over again. So I don’t think The Process is ever going to end. But at this point of The Process, it’s rewarding. We’ve been winning lately. We’ve been playing well. We still have a long way to go, but I’m excited about the future.

Joel Embiid dazzled with a 46-point game against the Lakers this season.

Me: When you played the Lakers the first time, you had an historic game -- 46 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, seven blocks. What was that like, being in a game where everything is working?

JE: I was just playing basketball. I was making plays, my teammates were finding me. They were feeding me, I looked unstoppable, and I feel like I’m unstoppable. So I kept going at it, and they tried to make adjustments, but I felt like it was too late. It was exciting in my head. The Lakers fans, they were talking (bleep) in the stands, and I love that. That got me going. So it was just, I don’t know the feeling, but that was kind of like my first time going through that. Just bucket after bucket. It was different.

Me: Why does trash talk motivate you so much?

JE: ‘Cause trash talk, I don’t know, it’s just in my nature. I love competing. I mean, if you ask anybody around me, my coaches, they know I love competing. I hate losing. So because I love competing and I hate losing, it just, I don’t know, for somebody to actually trash talk with me, it’s all about my game. Because I know I’m unguardable. It just takes my game to the next level, and I feel like most nights I need it, or it’s just going to be a lazy night, or sleepy night. So I actually kind of need it.