James Harden's seamless start with Donovan Mitchell on the Cleveland Cavaliers has earned Harden a new nickname and injected Cavs fans with optimism heading into the final 27 games of the season.
No doubt, rivals of the Cavaliers have taken note of Harden's hot start, seeing as even former players of Cleveland's adversaries are lauding Harden, not least of all ex-Boston Celtics great Kevin Garnett.
"I think James Harden's gonna make Donovan Mitchell not only a better player, but give him another (level) of confidence," Garnett said during a recent episode of his KG Certified podcast.
Kevin Garnett applauds James Harden's fit with Cavaliers
Garnett, in speaking on the podcast with his former teammate, Paul Pierce, predicted that Harden will improve Mitchell's game the way Harden positively impacted Tyrese Maxey on the Philadelphia 76ers.
Garnett even compared Harden's potential impact on Mitchell to the way that former Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo made life easier for Pierce in Boston.
KG's argument here was that the point guard version of Harden will take pressure off of Mitchell and put Spida in better positions to score, thereby making Mitchell's offensive game more efficient.
Pierce wasn't fully buying Garnett's take, noting that Harden and Mitchell still have some things to work through with regard to their high usage rates. In Pierce's defense, Mitchell and Harden both have usage rates in the top six in the league, with Mitchell being No. 4 and Harden being No. 6.
Will that be an issue, as Pierce suggested, or will Mitchell and Harden continue to look like an ideal pairing moving forward?
If the Cavaliers truly raised their playoff ceiling by trading for Harden, it'll not only be because Harden is valuable for when the games slow down in the postseason. It'll also be because Harden and Mitchell have established championship chemistry over the next 27 games.
Things look amazing now, but remember that this is still the "Honeymoon Harden" phase. The Cavs would actually benefit from going through some adversity together before the playoffs, although an easy schedule the rest of the way might not allow for that.
The most accurate prediction for the rest of the Harden-Mitchell partnership in 2025-26 is likely a combo of Garnett and Pierce's takes. While Pierce didn't give Garnett's praise for Harden enough love, it's also difficult to imagine the Cavaliers' new star duo looking this squeaky clean for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs.
If Pierce is right and the Cavaliers still have some pecking order things to sort through, it had better happen soon.