Monday night's Cleveland Cavaliers win was another efficient performance by James Harden. He led the Cavs in scoring with 21 points on just 11 shots to go along with five assists and five boards. What's more, The Beard accomplished this in just 29 minutes.
The Cavs are now 9-2 with Harden in the lineup, but they aren't overworking the 36-year-old MVP to achieve this success. Harden's 33.1 minutes per game is the lowest figure of his career outside of his OKC days, when he was primarily a Sixth Man.
More importantly, Harden's 23.2% usage rate is the second-lowest of his career (OKC: 20.4%). This is the key to Harden aging gracefully in a Cavs uniform from now until his retirement.
James Harden's lower usage rate with Cavs can extend his career
Harden's usage rate with the Cavaliers through 11 games is the lowest of his career as a starter. Only with the Thunder as a Sixth Man did he achieve a lower usage rate.
Team | Harden's usage rate |
|---|---|
Houston Rockets | 33.3% (career-high) |
Brooklyn Nets | 28.4% |
Los Angeles Clippers | 26.7% |
Philadelphia 76ers | 25.0% |
Cleveland Cavaliers | 23.2% (career-low as starter) |
Oklahoma City Thunder | 20.4% |
This is nothing but a positive metric for Harden as he enters the final phase of his career, as noted by The Athletic's Sam Vecenie on Monday during Vecenie's Game Theory Podcast.
Harden is averaging the second-lowest field goal attempts of his career in a Cavs uniform (12.7 per game) behind only -- you guessed it -- his 8.6 FGA mark in OKC. And here's the kicker: Harden's field goal percentage in Cleveland (46.4%) is the highest of his career.
Harden is playing fewer minutes, taking fewer shots, and shooting the ball more efficiently than ever. Oh, and Harden's traditional stats haven't suffered as much as you might suspect. Entering Tuesday, he was averaging 19.3 PPG, 7.8 APG, and 4.2 RPG.
Harden's lower usage will help him be fresh for the Cavs' postseason
This is the formula for Harden to conserve his energy and maximize the remaining days of his NBA career! He's landed on the ideal roster for this blueprint, as the Cavs have another, younger superstar guard in Donovan Mitchell, as well as multiple other scoring options.
When the Cavs are at their best, it's not just Harden's usage that is healthy; it's everyone's. Mitchell and Jaylon Tyson each took 11 shots on Monday, matching Harden. Evan Mobley took 12. No Cavalier was overburdened offensively, and the Philadelphia 76ers defense didn't quite know who to focus on.
If Harden is going to shake his playoff narrative, he'll need to enter the postseason healthy and energized. Lower minutes and lower usage will certainly help with that, from now until the end of his career.
Is the Honeymoon Harden era over? Perhaps. But that doesn't matter to the Cavs. What matters is where Harden and Cleveland's roster stand in June. And the Cavs may have expedited their way toward figuring out the perfect way to utilize Harden, both for his own energy maintenance and Cleveland's championship hopes.