Raptors’ Fred VanVleet on James Harden: He’s an alien out there

Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet will have the pleasure of going up against high-scoring Houston Rockets guard James Harden on Thursday.

It’s going to be a major test for the improved Raptors star. VanVleet knows this full well. He praised Mr. Harden at every turn in the lead up to the game, going as far as to call the MVP candidate an alien on the court.

Fred VanVleet on facing James Harden and the Rockets tomorrow: "We've already pretty much played every defense you can think of or dream of, so it won't be the first time we do anything, other than just James is kind of an alien out there, 1-on-1."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) December 4, 2019

That’s about the best description a fellow NBA player has had when talking about Harden. He’s almost literally been out of this world on the court during the 2019-20 campaign.

Harden is averaging a ridiculous 39.5 points to go with 6.1 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game this season. Heck, the dude is averaging 55 points per game over his past two outings.

Toronto boasts the seventh-best scoring defense and ranks fifth in defensive rating this season. The team will certainly look to do what no other squad has done this season. Contain Harden.