Fred VanVleet

Merely a 13-minute drive away from their helmet-wearing friends on the gridiron — remarkably, a team also atop its division in early-November — the Houston Rockets learned that “touchdown-type passes” could be made on both turf and hardwood alike. Orchestrator of one of the purest games a point guard could produce on November 6, 2024, Fred VanVleet teeters a tightrope between control and courageousness, tracking down a rebound with his eyes already darting down floor. Quarterback-esque in his throwing motion, the former All-Star floor general uncorks a perfectly-placed strike to a streaking teammate, setting up both an awe-worthy highlight and an early-game, “two-touchdown” lead. VanVleet’s Rockets use that 14-point first quarter boost to propel a wire-to-wire victory over their Southwest Division rival San Antonio Spurs. For his efforts, VanVleet found history in collecting 21 points (on a near-perfect 10-of-11 shooting), seven rebounds, 10 assists, two steals, and a 3-pointer, becoming the NBA’s first guard since 2003 to record a 20-5-10 statline on above 90 percent shooting.