PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers have one of the absolute best duos of the game with Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. Entering their fourth season together, the Sixers stars have been nearly unstoppable in their two-man game, powering one of the very best offenses in the NBA.

So far, the Sixers have seen the Maxey-to-Embiid connection record 47 buckets, the second-most of any tandem behind only the Houston Rockets' Fred VanVleet and Alperen Sengun. What makes the Philly duo so great is its prolificacy the other way. Embiid has assisted Maxey on 29 buckets, which is tied for the 13th-most in the league.

Embiid had a great two-man game last season with James Harden but the pattern was almost always the guard assisting the center. Before Maxey entered the picture, Embiid found great chemistry that went both ways with another slick guard with extraordinary shooting capabilities: JJ Redick.

“He's been great all season. He's just understanding the pace of the game,” Embiid said of Maxey after the Sixers' Monday night win over the Los Angeles Lakers. “Like tonight, I never felt like we got rushed, especially in our two-man action. Throwing me the ball, passing it back if it's right there, take it if it's not, throwing it back and just keep playing the game. I think that's what he's really getting better at. It kind of reminds me of what me and JJ had in that combination.

“Obviously, [Maxey is] better just attacking the rim,” Embiid continued. “He can put it on the floor and he's a great shooter, so that's a great combination. I think just his patience — he's been accepting what the defense has been giving him and just going from there, taking whatever is available.”

Redick signing with the Sixers in the 2017 offseason gave them a legitimate shooting threat alongside Embiid and Ben Simmons. Back when Embiid was still learning his own strength as a scorer and trying to grow as a passer, the dribble handoff with the veteran sharpshooter gave him easy opportunities to get assists or to use Redick's gravity to get open near the paint.

With Maxey, Embiid has continued to work on the left side of the court and roll back to the paint but often runs the pick-and-roll in that spot. Many of the duo's DHOs come in the middle of the floor in a play with numerous actions. Maxey has the capability to shoot on the move like Redick did (though perhaps not exactly at his level) but offers another gear with his speed with the ball in his hands and capability to hit floaters at any angle.

The Sixers' playbook has various plays that get more guys than just their two stars involved. But with the range of ways Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey can manufacture buckets for themselves and others, the dynamic duo will have mostly free rein to cook together. With Embiid being a much better playmaker now than he was when he played with Redick, Philly's new two-man game could be the best one that he has ever been a part of.