Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler believes Houston Rockets guard James Harden is currently the NBA’s most unstoppable player.
In a new video segment with The Players Tribune published Tuesday, here’s what what the 30-year-old Butler said when asked by the interviewer to identify the most unstoppable current player in the league:
The guy is averaging 39-and-a-half points. In the streets, that’s 40. That’s James Harden. I mean, he’s a lefty. You want a mid-range pull-up, you want a floater, you want a layup, you want a dunk, you want a free throw.
He’s legendary for his step-back. You can say that it’s a travel, you can say it’s not a travel. Ref doesn’t call it, so I’m all for it. Find a way to stop it, travel or not.
Butler was a free agent this offseason, and the Rockets initially sought to pair him with Harden. But the 6-foot-8 forward — and a native of Tomball, Texas, located just outside Houston — spurned his childhood team for Miami, where he’s averaging 18.9 points and 6.7 assists per game.
Harden and Butler were reportedly in close communication with each other in the weeks leading up to free agency.
Butler and the Heat (11-4) visit Harden and the Rockets (11-6) at Houston’s Toyota Center on Wednesday night, though it’s still unclear if the four-time All-Star will actually play. He’s currently listed as questionable with an illness, as is Rockets center Clint Capela.
Butler had 18 points and nine assists in 27 minutes versus the Rockets on Nov. 3, when the Heat routed Houston by 29 points.
