The Cleveland Cavaliers made their choice with James Harden this offseason, and early returns are ugly.
After the Darius Garland trade, keeping Harden in town was the obvious move, even with the mistakes that came with him. The Cavs doubled down anyway, and through four games, they’re finding out just how much they may have to live with.
Harden has not looked like the player Cleveland needs. He’s averaging 15.8 points per game, and the shooting numbers tell the bigger story: 32.7 percent from the field, 29.0 percent from three, and 49.0 percent overall. The Cavs are winning in spite of him, not because of him.
That’s the part that has to sting for Kenny Atkinson’s team. Harden is still giving them some playmaking - 6.8 assists per game - but the rest of the package has been a problem. He’s also turning it over 3.8 times a night, and the defensive production isn’t there to balance it out.
At this stage, the concern is that this isn’t just a rough patch. Harden isn’t getting any younger, and there’s not much reason to expect a major reinvention now.
Even if his shot starts falling again, aging players usually don’t keep adding new layers to their game. Harden has never exactly been the model of constant evolution, either.
The bigger question is what Cleveland is actually getting when the shot isn’t falling, the free throws aren’t coming, and the turnovers pile up. If teams can still attack him and expose him the way they tend to in the playoffs, the margin gets even thinner.
Harden has been one of the greatest scorers to ever walk the face of the Earth, but his shot selection has always been hard to explain. He’s spent much of his career living on difficult looks because he could make them, not because they were smart shots.
Now, that kind of shot-making may be the first thing to disappear if he can’t create separation or if his release has slowed down. Cleveland made its bed with Harden. Right now, that gamble doesn’t look like it’s going to pay off.
In Other News...
Ty Jerome Just Gave Cavaliers Fans A Needed Breather
Ty Jeromes first rough night in Memphis offered Cavaliers fans a small dose of comfort after months of wondering what Cleveland gave up when he walked. Since leaving for the Grizzlies, Jerome has been one of the names fans have circled whenever his new team looks like it may have gotten the better end of the deal, so a quieter performance against Portland was bound to draw some attention back in Northeast Ohio.
He still helped Memphis come away with a win, which keeps the larger conversation from going away entirely, but the game did interrupt the easy momentum around his start with the Grizzlies. For Cavaliers fans, it was at least a reminder that the regret over letting Jerome leave does not have to grow every time he takes the floor. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Keep Collapsing And Kenny Atkinson Has A Growing Problem
The Cavaliers uneven start has already given Kenny Atkinson plenty to sort through, and the latest setback only sharpened the concern. After the loss to Atlanta, Atkinson acknowledged that Cleveland has not been able to put together consistent stretches on either end, with the team repeatedly letting leads slip away early in the season.
What stands out most is how familiar the issues have become. Atkinson pointed to the same basic breakdowns that have haunted the Cavaliers in multiple games, especially around the defensive glass and the kind of lapses that turn a comfortable position into a scramble. With tougher matchups ahead, Cleveland is running out of time to turn those warning signs into clean, complete wins. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Collapse Should Put Kenny Atkinson Under Fresh Scrutiny
The Cavaliers had built a 15-point cushion after the first quarter, only to watch Atlanta chip away and eventually take control in a game that exposed some familiar late-game frustrations. Cleveland still got scoring from James Harden, who led the way with 24 points, and Donovan Mitchell added 22, but the offensive production was not enough to cover for the way the game unraveled after the opening period.
What stood out most was the second-half defensive drop-off, along with the coaching choices that came under the microscope as the Hawks kept pressing. The loss leaves Kenny Atkinson facing a fresh round of scrutiny, especially with the Cavaliers unable to protect a strong start or steady things when the game tightened late. [Read more 🡒]