James Harden has a way of turning an offense into something calmer, cleaner and a lot harder to defend.
That’s the edge the Cleveland Cavaliers are leaning on as Harden enters his 18th season, blending scoring and playmaking in a way that helps all the pieces around him settle into place. Kenny Atkinson said it plainly.
“You don’t have to worry about who is out there with [Harden],” said head coach Kenny Atkinson. “He makes the game look so easy… he makes everyone better, that’s the biggest compliment you can give someone.”
That matters for a Cavs team that looks nothing like it did a year ago. The roster has changed sharply since the previous trade deadline, Peyton Watson is a new addition to the starting lineup, and the bench now depends on a group of unproven role players. With so much turnover, Atkinson has spent the preseason sorting through different lineup combinations to see what actually fits.
“I don’t know if I call it experimenting, but just seeing what stuff looks like,” Atkinson said of his mix-matched rotations during the preseason.
Harden makes those lineups easier to sort out because he doesn’t force one path. He creates options. He can connect with new teammates quickly, or sharpen the timing with players who already know where to expect the ball.
“He’s one of those players for me; it’s kind of easy to play off him,” said Jaylon Tyson. “Just because [Harden] can make every pass in the book and, obviously, his scoring ability. Everyone is so worried about him offensively that a player like me, catch-and-shoot, just playing off the cut, it makes it so much easier when he’s on the court.”
Even at 37, Harden remains the kind of star who opens doors for an offense simply by being there. Paired with Donovan Mitchell, he gives Cleveland two elite creators to build around, and that kind of talent changes the way defenses have to think.
Peyton Watson, who came over from Denver, described the Cavaliers’ offense as a different kind of challenge.
“Unpredictable,” answered Peyton Watson on how Cleveland’s offense differs from Denver. “In this offense, it’s all about instincts and knowing how to play the game around two elite offensive players - whereas with [Nikola Jokic], I knew every time down he was gonna have the ball… and the play would be for me to do this or that… here, there are more possibilities and things that I can do.”
For Mitchell, Harden’s impact goes beyond the box score or the highlight passes. It changes the way the group functions.
“When you’re his teammate, it brings it to a whole new level,” said Donovan Mitchell. “Seeing his influence on the group, seeing his passion and intention behind what he does, it really puts into perspective how BS a lot of the narratives [about Harden] are.”
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