How the duo of James Harden and Donovan Mitchell could push the Cavs to the ‘top of the mountain’

At his first Los Angeles Clippers press conference two and a half years ago, a viral moment occurred when he James Harden famous statement: “I am not a system player. I am the system.” After he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers to create a stellar tandem with Donovan MitchellClippers head coach Ty Lue revisited the proclamation.

“He was right, and he is right,” Lue said Wednesday. “That means he’s a system, which means he can make anybody better. A lot of people — coaches, myself — go into it like, ‘How can I make these guys better, make the team better?’

“It started in Houston, when I was able to play my style of game, and it worked. He was playing at a high level. To be able to score the basketball, make guys shoot easy three-pointers, score everybody he played with, make them better. Like he said, he’s a system.”

Listening to Lue’s comments, it’s only fitting that the Cavs’ head coach Kenny AtkinsonThe first call after the move was with former Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni. Reflecting on tactics and ways Cleveland can creatively use the 11-time All-Star, the legendary offensive mind told him that Harden and Steve Nash are two of his all-time favorites.

“Obviously, James was great with the Clippers and Ty’s system, but I think with Mike and that Houston team, that was the height of his powers,” Atkinson said. “So we’d be foolish not to talk to Mike, not to go back and look at the years in Houston and see what we can implement.”

That version of Harden was a candidate for MVP and the best player in the NBA every season. A scoring phenom with big minutes and heavy usage, an iron man who got to the free throw line at will, took every opportunity to use his patented dance step back off the wing, and got his guys involved to the point where they were earning lucrative salaries.

This version of Harden may be older, but he’s wiser, calmer and smarter. At 36, he’s still capable of putting 50 on your head or dishing out double-digit assists on a nightly basis. Whatever the game demands, the surefire Basketball Hall of Fame can deliver. That’s what appeals to the Cavs, who quickly shifted gears to five-wheel drive in their pursuit of the Larry O’Brien trophy.

“I think our ceiling is definitely higher when you have a guy like James Harden,” Mitchell said. “When you look at it, it’s like, okay, cool, we know what he brings. But even with that, there’s an expectation. There’s an understanding of that, that’s what we have to do. . . . Sometimes the front office makes the moves, and now it’s up to us to execute. We haven’t been able to do that in the last three years, and now our goal is to achieve the biggest goal.

“I think for us, we’ve got to go out there and do our best every night. It’s not always going to be pretty. If you take a step at the deadline, there’s going to be bumps in the road. But for us, this is the time and we’ve got to go out there and do it.”

A huge part of Harden’s appeal is what he’s done for big men. It’s a list that features Clint Capela at his best in Houston, Joel Embiid as an MVP candidate in Philly, and former LA teammate Ivica Zubac most recently with the Clippers. Harden is expected to exponentially elevate Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

“How average is he, 25 and 8? I think the biggest thing I’m excited about is what he’s going to be able to do for JA and Eva,” Mitchell said. “Obviously for me and him and what he does for the team, but a guy that can get into the paint, manipulate the play, get big players involved, obviously score at the rate he does, find guys.

“And then you add Dennis (Schroder) and Keon (Ellis) to the mix and what they’re able to bring on top of what we already have. Jaylon Tyson has been phenomenal. Sam Merrill. Get Max (Struse) back. There’s only so many pieces we can continue to improve on.”

Mitchell and Atkinson immediately connected with Harden to discuss the possibilities.

“We’re a damn good pick-and-roll team as it is, and now you’re adding one of the best ever; hopefully that’s only going to elevate it even more,” Atkinson said. “I’m not sure where we’re ranked — I’m sure we’re ranked pretty high — but he changes the equation. I think that’s what we’re excited about (about it). He’s going to bring out our best. He makes other people better, right? He’s going to make Sam Merrill better. He’s going to make Max Strus better.

“When you watch his film, what really stands out is the passing. I know everyone talks about the iso and the pick-and-roll, but he’s a great, great passer. I can’t wait to see how he interacts with our two talented bigs.”

However, right now, instead of focusing strictly on game plans and Xs and O’s, it’s about nurturing relationships. They want to get his feet wet on who the Cavs are as an organization. Then it will be off to the races to determine how to maximize not only the new veteran duo but also the supporting cast.

“Great players tend to fit in,” Atkinson said. “It’s rare that it doesn’t work. It’s up to us as coaches to work with Donovan and James, and what that looks like. What the rotations look like, how to shake them up, how to play when everyone’s on the court alone, how we’re going to play when they’re together. That’s all we have to figure out.

“But usually when you have such talented players, I can’t stress it enough, players with a high IQ, it’s a lot easier for the coaching staff to pick up on that.”

Atkinson is confident that Mitchell’s “selfless” nature will make Harden’s transition to Cleveland a smooth one.

“James doesn’t have to come in and serve Donovan,” Atkinson said. “Donovan is going to reach out to him and they’re going to work together. That’s going to be part of this dynamic: how they work together as leaders. Donovan is the first one to take a step back to lift somebody else up. He did it with Evan. He did it with Darius. And I’m sure with James, he’ll also realize the same thing when he took over. It’s a nice balance.”

“When you add a guy like James, who knows how to play this game at a high level, the sky’s the limit,” Mitchell added. “But the biggest thing is it’s not just going out there (and it works right away); it’s not plug and play. We’re not going to come in here and just be like, okay, it’s fixed (snaps finger). It’s going to take time, iterate, talk, and I think we’re all open to that and continuing to get better.”

Once the trade was officialAtkinson pondered what his own potential synergy with Harden might look like.

“I’ll probably call less plays,” Atkinson said. “When you’re around big players, you take a step back and empower them. I foresee that happening. Obviously, I need to get to know James better. And what’s great about this is I’m looking forward to learning from him.”

“When you’re around big players, you end up getting more, you get more out of them than maybe they get out of you. So I think we’re going to have a great working relationship. Obviously, coach him hard when I need to coach him, but again, I think with big players, you step back and let them be themselves.”

Dennis Schroder jokes about the past competition with James Harden

Schroder made a notable first impression with the Cavs in his LA debut, he scored 11 points, dished out 6 assists and had 3 steals in 19 minutes of action. As a rookie, he is excited about the team’s potential. Harden will only help the iron to sharpen the iron.

“Great group of guys,” Schroder said. “(Held LA to) under 50 points at halftime. I don’t think we’ve had that in Sacha in a long time. So a really competitive group that wants to play defense and then share the ball on offense, wants to play fast. I love that. I feel comfortable already.

We just have to keep going and get better every day, every game. Of course, James will come and we will do the same thing with him, we will come together. And I think we’re going to be in a good place.”

With a reputation for ruffling feathers, Schroder joked that he would have a minor conflict to settle with Harden from when they were enemies.

“He’s a future Hall of Famer, one of the best to ever play the game,” Schroder said. “I’m 32 years old, but I can still learn and try to pick up the best things from him. I trash-talked him a lot, so we have to deal with that first (laughs). It’s nothing bad. We were just competing. He knows I always do that to influence the game. I mean, we played cards in the Bubble, so we talked about it in one day, and then we talked cool about it. it’s over.”

“But I think we’re going to fit in really well. I’ve played with a lot of future Hall of Famers in my career and I had a triple lineup in OKC with Chris Paul and Shay (Gilgeus-Alexander), and we made it work, so let’s see how it goes here.”

Atkinson could lean toward that approach with Schroder and Harden in certain lineups.

“I think I see his role similar to what we saw (Wednesday),” Atkinson said. “Obviously, defensive pressure and the ability to drop. But absolutely, I could see him and James playing together. I could see him, James and Donovan playing together. You remember when Dennis was in Oklahoma City, and they had a three-back offense.”