According to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun on Monday, the Houston Rockets are expected to sign guard Fred VanVleet of Rockford, Illinois to a three-year contract worth $130 million. Even though NBA free agency does not officially start until Thursday, many projected reports have already been announced on the NBA website.
You could make the argument that VanVleet is one of the best undrafted players in NBA history. The high praise needs to be made to the outstanding Raptors scouting department.
In 2022-23, VanVleet averaged 19.3 points per game, 7.2 assists per game, 4.1 rebounds per game, and 1.8 steals per game. He had a field goal percentage of .393, three-point percentage of .342, and a free throw percentage of .898.
VanVleet’s best game came on February 2, 2021. In a 123-108 Raptors win over the Orlando Magic, he had a personal best 54 points. The 54 points were the most points scored in a game in the history of the NBA by an undrafted player. It was one more point than the 53 points that Moses Malone scored on February 2, 1982. Ironically, the 53 points Malone scored came with the Houston Rockets, which happens to be VanVleet’s new team. VanVleet also set the Raptors franchise record for most points in a game.
Looking back at the 2019 NBA Finals, VanVleet also had an impact. In fact, he got a NBA Finals MVP vote, as Kawhi Leonard only got 10 of the 11 votes. The one person to vote for VanVleet? It was in fact former NBA head coach and current ESPN analyst Hubie Brown. In the 2019 NBA Finals, where the Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors in six games, VanVleet averaged 14 points per game.
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