Once it's all said and done, James Harden will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Perhaps he won't have a fan base to claim him, although he'll most likely be inducted as a Houston Rocket, but there's no way to deny that he's destined for immortality.
Harden, however, isn't a flawless player — no one is. And while not many guys keep adding things to their bags or fixing their flaws at this point in their career, Harden is definitely smart and talented enough to work on what needs to be fixed; he just needs to want it.
That's why it's about time coach Kenny Atkinson sits down with him and has an open-hearted talk about his turnovers. Harden may have won a ton of games in his career, but that doesn't mean he always plays winning basketball.
The Cavaliers need James Harden to take better care of the ball
The late great Kobe Bryant once said it, and so far, Harden hasn't proved him wrong: He plays accidental basketball. He's an elite playmaker with incredible court vision and passing skills, but it doesn't always feel like he knows what he's doing with the rock in his hands, at least as a playmaker.
Harden can still put the ball through the hoop, but he's no longer the guy who could go off for 30+ on any given night. As such, the Cavs need him more to be a playmaker, set the table, and get everyone the ball in their preferred spots.
Harden can do that at a high level, but he tends to be careless at times. Live-ball turnovers are momentum killers, and he's never been known for his defensive prowess or determination to go back on defense after a misfire.
Harden averages 3. 7 turnovers per game in his career. Even if high-usage guys tend to turn the ball over more often because they're often getting the ball up the court, that's just way too many for this team's sake.
It's not that he doesn't have the court vision or the skills to be better; it just feels like he doesn't care, and it's not even his fault. For too long, his scoring outbursts outweighed the many times his recklessness cost his team.
But Father Time is ruthless, and he's simply not that guy anymore. He's still a very, very good player, but not a top-five guy in this league.
Harden has embraced his secondary role as he's grown older, but that also means adjusting and adapting your game so you don't hurt the team's go-to guy. If he can do that in 2026, this offense might go much more smoothly.
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