James Harden naysayers have come out of the woodwork since his trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers, pointing at The Beard's history of postseason failures as a harbinger of more to come.
Fair enough. Harden's never won a ring, we get it.
Then again, a healthy Harden has also never played alongside an explosive offensive weapon like Donovan Mitchell, which might end up being the key that unlocks Harden's Finals drought.
Donovan Mitchell might be the cure to James Harden's playoff narrative
Is Mitchell the most talented running mate Harden's ever had? No. James has played alongside multiple first-ballot Hall of Famers, including Kevin Durant (twice).
But timing and health matter. In the case of Harden's tenure with Durant and Kyrie Irving on the Brooklyn Nets, the health of all three guys never aligned for a title run. The same can be said for Harden's Clippers tenure. Kawhi Leonard was sidelined for most of it.
In Houston, Chris Paul offered another talented partner in crime, but Paul's never been the dynamic scorer that these other names are, including Mitchell. In a Game 7 situation for those Rockets teams, Harden had to be the guy. He won't have to be for these Cavaliers.
On Wednesday, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith called Harden and Mitchell "arguably the most prolific offensive backcourt in the NBA right now."
What Smith said next was even more crucial, though, asserting that Mitchell's presence will "offset" Harden's playoff struggles.
Stephen A. may be onto something. If Mitchell can stay durable, he'll be able to unleash some combination of the Rockets and Nets versions of Harden.
Like Harden did with CP3 in Houston, he could play in staggered minutes with Mitchell, splitting his time between operating as the primary offensive engine for the Cavs and crafty facilitator/playmaker (when Spida is on the floor with him).
And like his Brooklyn days, Harden will defer to the team's more electric scorer with the game on the line, and suffer no damage to his ego because of it.
Harden may be 36 years old, but Mitchell happens to be in the dead center of his athletic prime at 29. Whatever burden James can no longer carry by himself, Mitchell is right beside him to carry the torch.
Perhaps the underlying reason for Harden's playoff failures is that he's had some of the right running mates, but always at the wrong time. Mitchell and Cleveland can change that entire discourse, but it needs to happen now.