James Harden has suited up in a Cleveland Cavaliers jersey for 11 games thus far. The team has an impressive 9-2 record to show for those contests. A big reason for the success? That would be the Cavaliers' explosive offense led by their new floor general.
Adjusting to playing with Harden may not seem like a tough task, and by all means, the Cavaliers have made it all look very easy. Jarrett Allen has gotten to enjoy giftwrapped looks down low. Perimeter shooters have benefitted from the dribble penetration their star guard uses to create open shots from distance. The offense has just been humming.
Harden has posted an offensive rating of 124 per 100 possessions with the Cavaliers. The numbers back up what the eye test suggests about the impact of their new star. Make no mistake, though, the relationship goes both ways. The team around Harden has given him what he needs.
Merrill told Fear the Sword: "James is playing within our style as well, but he has his style, of kind of spreading everybody out, get into his iso game, and play off of that. ... Sometimes it’s a little more holding your spot as opposed to maybe cutting, but not something we’ve never done.”
Cavaliers and James Harden are executing a perfect give-and-take
At the peak of his powers with the Houston Rockets, Harden was the king of isolation basketball. There was not a defender who could not be taken into space by the former MVP and given the business on any given night.
Harden is 36 years old at this point and not quite at that level anymore, but the man has aged gracefully. What tended to get lost in the shuffle of him embarrassing defenders with his isolation scoring was his overall playmaking ability. Harden is one of the all-time offensive engines the game has ever seen.
Generating buckets was always the task of the day. However, it did not always need to come from his own individual scoring.
Sometimes, to Merrill's point, the best thing a role player can do for Harden is sit tight and let him bend the defense into a favorable kick-out opportunity. It often leads to the equivalent of warm-up jumpers from the perimeter. The Cavs have done their part when asked.
These are the little things that make life with a new star so much easier. There are always plenty of adjustments to be made after a new arrival of this caliber. Both sides have proven eager and willing to make it work.