What James Harden didn’t see coming next to Donovan Mitchell

In his long-awaited debut for Cleveland Cavaliers, James Harden immediately felt the impact of playing alongside Donovan Mitchell. It took a half for both of them and most of the team to feel the change against the young Sacramento Kings, but in the end, the Cavs’ revamped star duo combined for 32 of 39 points in the fourth quarter to push the wine and gold to a 132-126 victory.

“He made all the big plays,” Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson said of Harden’s debut. “Obviously two big threes. I thought he had a great 1-on-1 with (DeMar) DeRozan at the end and had a great fight for a big shot. He was closer. He and Donovan really synced up at the end to make big plays. I mean phenomenal. Controlled the game, controlled the tempo and obviously made a big shot.

“We’ve got a little bit of a run here. We’ve got confidence. No panic. It was reminiscent of last year where we’re just calm right now. They hit unbelievable shots. They made some great shots; (Nique) Clifford made some great shots, DeRozan obviously. They played great. But we kept our assists when Donovan James had a great assist. close out a game like that.”

Harden scored 20 of his 23 points in the second half, knocking down six of his last seven shots. He dished out eight assists, half of which went to Jarrett Allen.

In his the first interview as a member of the Cavs, he didn’t think too much about the process of fitting in with his new group. Harden, on the other hand, has been thinking about using the other part of his game more often than he has in the past.

“We’ll see. It was just one game,” Harden said with a chuckle. “So we’ll see what works, we’ll see what doesn’t work.”

“I don’t know how many catch-and-shoot opportunities I’ve had this year, but this is the first time I feel like I’ve gotten at least four or five catch-and-shoot opportunities. Something I’ve got to get used to.”

Three of Harden’s five three-pointers were assisted, one by Mitchell and two by Keon Ellis. Most importantly, he scored two of the biggest shots of the night from the same spot within 30 seconds.

“Very, very unselfish,” Harden said of his new backcourt partner in Mitchell. “You didn’t know he was 35 tonight. He’s so quiet, but he’s so effortless. He doesn’t push. He just plays the game the right way, and it comes down the line. He just played the game the right way.”

“I’m happy to be in an environment where I can get opportunities to catch and hit, so we’ll see what happens from there. But I’m happy to be here.”

Mitchell believes that’s because Cleveland’s roster offers different opportunities for the 36-year-old veteran.

“It’s one of those situations where there’s a lot of space,” Mitchell said. “You’ve got me, you’ve got him, you’ve got Sam (Merrill) out there. You’ve got (Jarrett Allen) and Keon, it could be Dean (Wade), you know what I mean? So it’s just a lot of space, it gives you room to attack.”

Impressed by his direct approach from the rebound, Mitchell noted that Harden was telling him and Allen to “go” so he could create for them instead of focusing on his own scoring.

“But then you’re also telling him to go,” Mitchell said. “That’s especially when you have a guy who’s established, who’s done a lot, to come in and have that approach. I think it kind of turned on us at halftime, and we figured it out. But he’s composed, man. It’s great to be off the ball, to watch him pick apart the defense. We’ve got our two different steps when you need him, but then he’s going to ‘need him.’

“Unbelievable,” Allen added. “At the beginning of the game he didn’t score as much as you would expect, but he shared the ball with everyone. At the end of the game, he took control, made a couple of threes, stepped back and got us back in the game. Made every decision. Whether he scored, passed the ball to him, or found a guy, even on defense.”

Asked about the Harden-Mitchell pairing, Allen thinks it’s a pick that can pick poison that can be “dangerous.” Atkinson reiterated the sharp basketball IQ that both men possess, mentioning that he didn’t see a “your turn, my turn” approach on Saturday night. Mitchell agrees with him.

“I think the biggest thing he did tonight was just getting the ball forward, letting guys create, and then if they didn’t have anything, now it’s on him,” Mitchell explained. “And now, we’re in a pick-and-roll. As much as he’s a hell of an isolation player, he’s a phenomenal pick-and-roll player. Now it’s like, we’re together, you’re running the pick-and-roll, and I’m in the corner or Sam’s in that corner, what are you going to do? And if it doesn’t happen on the other end, we’re not going to be perfect. You get used to it, but that’s what you see.

“I’m not going to speak for him, but I think he wants it … it’s hard to be in isolation over and over again; you kind of want a break to be able to get out of it and do different things. When you have guys like us in this locker room, especially him and me, you’re going to be able to get out of it and say, ‘Hey, go play.’ We ran an ATO for Jaylon Tyson to contain him and go downhill; yes he missed but that’s what you want to see. Keep making plays for each other. We’ll get ours and they’ll figure it out all the time, but keep using it as a collective.”

What James Harden’s skill set can do for the Cavs

Allen thinks Harden found every opportunity to exploit the defense, especially in the pick-and-roll with him. In their first game together, the 27-year-old center scored a healthy 29 points on 11-of-12 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds and an assist.

“Honestly, even if it wasn’t a pass for me, we were just reading the action, reading the gravity so the players would bring it to us, and he would find either Sam or Jaylon on the wing cutting,” Allen said. “Everything we did worked.”

“He’s so smart, isn’t he,” Atkinson added. “That’s what you do when you come to a new team. Jarrett Allen’s 11-for-12 because James hits him in the pocket and finds him on the throw. That’s how you ingratiate yourself with your teammates and the new team. You know James. His No. 1 attribute, I’ve always felt like he makes others better, but everybody makes him better. So this is good for us to see that manifest tonight.

Before his debut, Atkinson pointed that out Harden is a master of pick-and-rolls and passing in general. It’s not just about precision; overcomes it.

“He’s got a great reputation for communicating with his bigs — the corner of the screen, ‘Hey, do I slide? Do I hold him? Do you want to flip this?’ — and Donovan does a great job of that, too,” Atkinson said. “Evan (Mobley) and ME, I think it helps them. Where do you want the screen? Do you want me to set it high? Do you want me to put it lower? All that communication during the game.

“You see what James did with Zuo (Ivica Zubac) with the Clippers. They worked hard on that, and I expect that to happen with our guys. Get them in there and get as many reps as we can.”

In awe of the Cavs as an organization and as a team, Harden already liked what he saw in Game 1.

“We have a combination of young guys who understand their role and the game and their plays very well,” Harden said. “JT, obviously. The head honcho in the Don. But you’ve got a bunch of guys who understand their role. You’ve got the athleticism, you’ve got shooting everywhere, you’ve got coaches everywhere. I just have to figure out where I fit in, but it won’t be hard.”

“I told the guys just do what you do, and I’ll figure it out. I’m good enough to figure it out and get in there. But without practice, it’s my first 5-on-5 since probably a week ago, so it’s a little rusty. We’re just happy to get the win and have some things to build on.”