Progress Report: Grading James Harden’s first 14 games with the Cavs
It’s been a month and a half since the Cleveland Cavaliers traded for James Harden. So far, the outcomes have fairly good.
The Cavs gained their first 5 games with Harden in the lineup. Since that point, he is damaged a finger, and the staff has misplaced 4 of their final 9 games with him. The Cavs at the moment are 10-4 in games Harden performs.
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In that point, Harden is averaging 19.4 factors, 7.7 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per recreation with .480/.436/.808 capturing splits.
The three-ball has boosted Harden’s effectivity. The exterior shot will undoubtedly cool off. He’s by no means shot over 40% from three for a season. The closest he is gotten was changing 39% of his triples again in the 2011-12 season.
Harden has completed a terrific job of bolstering the offense whereas adjusting to a secondary position alongside Donovan Mitchell. Harden’s utilization price in Cleveland has been 27.9% (67th percentile). That’s the lowest it has been since 2023-24, when he first performed alongside Kawhi Leonard and Paul George with the Los Angeles Clippers.
More impressively, Harden has completed a terrific job of becoming into head coach Kenny Atkinson’s offensive system. The Cavs are enjoying slower with Harden on the courtroom in comparison with their season-long common, however since he is come to the staff, they’re enjoying at a slightly faster pace when he’s on the court compared to when he’s off.
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Atkinson’s system is not constructed on simply enjoying quick. It’s a movement-based offense that runs numerous off-ball motion. That’s the reverse of Harden’s isolation system, the place each participant stays completely spaced always.
The Cavs have completed a great job of mixing the two. They’ve been capable of incorporate a decent amount of off-ball movement around Hardenwhich has allowed him to showcase how good a passer he’s.
As a staff, the Cavs have scored (*14*) (94th percentile for offensive ratings) when Harden is on the courtroom. An particular person participant’s offensive ranking is not normally indicative of how nicely they’ve carried out. In this occasion, it reveals how nicely he is purchased into the staff’s philosophy, resulting in their success.
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More importantly, the offense has remained elite no matter which core player he’s been paired with.
Harden has paired incredibly well with Mitchell. He’s allowed Mitchell to keep the reins as a scorer while finding ways to fit in around him. As a result, the Cavs have posted a 128.8 offensive rating with both Mitchell and Harden on the court (99th percentile). This has led to the Cavs outscoring their opponents by 11.3 points per 100 possessions when both are on the floor (94th percentile for net ratings).
The same has been true with Jarrett Allen. The duo has developed an impressive pick-and-roll game, which has led to the Cavs posting a 124.2 offensive rating (97th percentile) and a +8.5 net rating (87th percentile) when both are playing.
Harden’s fit alongside Evan Mobley has looked the most awkward. The duo hasn’t developed nice pick-and-roll chemistry but, which has left the offense feeling clunky at occasions. However, that clunkiness is not mirrored in the numbers. The Cavs have nonetheless posted an outstanding 122.1 offensive rating with each on the flooring (92nd percentile) and a +9.1 net rating (89th percentile).
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As seamless as the match has been, there are two issues that we are able to clearly knock Harden for.
First, he is been capable of stabilize lineups with out Mitchell — which was an enormous subject earlier than the Harden commerce — however these lineups have not been too spectacular.
Atkinson hasn’t discovered the proper bench mixtures to play alongside Harden. There hasn’t been a lot consistency in these lineups, which makes it troublesome to have too sturdy an opinion as to why they have not thrived. This has led to the Cavs outscoring opponents by 1.6 points per 100 possessions (59th percentile for net ratings) when Harden is on the flooring with out Mitchell.
Secondly, the protection has been tough with Harden.
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Opponents are scoring 4.7 more points per 100 possessions with Harden on the flooring in comparison with when he is off (17th percentile). This is due partially to how little resistance Harden has supplied at the level of assault.
The Cavs have tried other ways to cowl for Harden defensively, however have not discovered a lot success in doing so. They’ve experimented with the 3-2 zone with Harden at each the prime and the backside of the zone, however he is fared poorly in each conditions. He would not include the ball at the prime of the zone, and the rotations are too sluggish when he is at the backside.
These points are amplified when he is enjoying alongside Mitchell, who’s been a poor point-of-attack defender in his personal proper just lately.
The protection has been with out both Mobley or Allen in most of Harden’s tenure with the staff. Harden has solely performed with each bigs in 5 of his 14 games. The protection has been distinctive in the temporary time he is shared the flooring with each bigs — they’ve posted a 95.4 defensive rating (100th percentile) in 72 minutes collectively. The subject is that the Cavs play a majority of their minutes with simply one in every of the two bigs on the courtroom, even when each are wholesome.
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Harden is not magically going to change into a terrific defender in his seventeenth season. However, there are seemingly higher methods to cowl him on that finish. The query is whether or not the Cavaliers can discover these earlier than the postseason.
Overall, Harden has slot in nicely with his teammates. He was introduced in to spice up their possibilities of going to the Finals this season and in the subsequent few. Based on the early returns, they’re in a greater state of affairs to do this even with him enjoying by means of a damaged finger.
