Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden has accomplished just about everything imaginable during his NBA career. He's an MVP, three-time scoring champion, two-time assists leader, and six-time All-NBA First Team honoree who has won Sixth Man of the Year and made an NBA Finals in said role.
17 years into his career, however, there's still one knock against Harden: The absence of the elusive championship that would make his all-time status impossible to dispute.
Harden has been the epitome of polarizing, with undeniable highs and an aesthetic element to his game that's proven divisive. The one common ground that fans and critics seem to meet on, however, is the lackluster nature of how his trips to the postseason tend to end.
His past three postseason appearances, for instance, have ended with him shooting 2-of-8, 5-of-16, and 3-of-11 in his teams' elimination games.
Harden has has been to two Conference Finals in a No. 1 role, which pokes several holes in the narrative about him. He's effectively epitomized, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall," however, with lackluster showings when his back is against the wall.
Thankfully, the Cavaliers have built a team that perfectly complements Harden's strengths and weaknesses—in a wide open Eastern Conference.
James Harden has a realistic shot at a title with the Cavaliers
The beauty of how Harden factors into Cleveland's game plan is that he doesn't need to dominate to win. He's won't be asked to carry a colossal workload, as he was with the LA Clippers, but is instead able to pick his spots and trust his younger and more athletic teammates to thrive in their own lanes.
Those teammates include go-to scorer and seven-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell, who's averaging 28.5 points and 5.8 assists per game on .483/.369/.852 shooting.
Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard was sensational, but his injury woes and the fact that he's extending his prime at 34 must be factored into the conversation. Mitchell, meanwhile, has missed just 16 games since the start of the 2024-25 season and is at the peak of his athletic prime at 29 years of age.
It also doesn't hurt that the Clippers' cast of aging role players has been replaced by the Cavaliers promising young core of supporting talents and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Evan Mobley.
Unlike the Clippers, the Cavaliers don't need James Harden to dominate
Mobley, 24, and Jarrett Allen, 27, have formed one of the best interior duos in the NBA during their time together in Cleveland. Along the wings, the likes of Keon Ellis and Jaylon Tyson have shown elite 3-and-D potential and an invaluable positional versatility.
Compounded by the sharpshooting of Sam Merrill and the optimism that veteran 3-and-D wing Max Strus will return before the playoffs, the Cavaliers have a deep and balanced rotation.
Furthermore, Cleveland's only other featured player who's over 30 is 32-year-old backup point guard Dennis Schröder. That gives Harden quite the opportunity to go from a team relying on veterans with name value to an actually prime-age and coherent roster.
Keep in mind: Harden wasn't acquired to fill a gigantic void, but instead to replace a fellow All-Star in Darius Garland who helped Cleveland achieve its current rank of No. 4 in offensive rating.
The Eastern Conference is wide open for the Cavaliers
Perhaps the most important piece of context to Harden's suddenly legitimate title dreams is that the Eastern Conference is in an unpredictable position. The No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons have never won a playoff series with their current core. The No. 2 Boston Celtics are thriving but still a mystery given their unexpected success and the unknown nature of Jayson Tatum's future.
Even the No. 3 seed New York Knicks, which made the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals, are showing cracks in their armor as the postseason nears.
That certainly opens the door for an already strong Cavaliers team to turn a meaningful mid-season trade into a deep playoff run. Considering virtually everyone on the roster but Harden has been to the postseason together, the chemistry is all but built in already.
The Cavaliers may not be viewed as title favorites, but with a wide-open Eastern Conference, a top-tier team around him, and less pressure than ever before in his career, Harden can finally win.