James Harden deviated from his usual role in his home debut for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Playing alongside Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and a red-hot Sam Merrill, the former league MVP was more than happy to share the rock in the 138-113 rout of the Washington Wizards on Wednesday evening.
The 11-time NBA All-Star played his role with the Cleveland Cavaliers to perfection, registering 13 points, four rebounds, and 11 assists on 1-for-4 shooting from the field and 10-for-12 shooting from the free throw line in 28 minutes of action.
“I’m top 10 in scoring all time; scoring isn’t a problem for me. I want to play the right way and take shots when necessary, be aggressive when necessary, and when guys are open, make the right pass. We all know why I’m here. It’s one goal, and we all have that in common. Whether I take four shots or 20 shots, if we win the game, who cares?” Harden told reporters via Ashly Holder of the Cleveland 19 News.
“Like I told them, I’ll figure it out. We’ll do some adjusting with each other, but for the most part, I’ll play with y’all and do what y’all been doing, and I’ll find my way, and they’ve been doing that,” he added. “So even tonight, I shoot four shots, but we win by 25 points. That’s the most important thing. And Sam (Merrill) gets it going. And I’m just here to win.”
Cleveland Cavaliers News: Donovan Mitchell and Kenny Atkinson dish on James Harden’s playmaking chops
Donovan Mitchell and Kenny Atkinson are loving what they’re seeing from James Harden, who seems to have already bought into the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ playoff push this season. Both spoke at length about what The Beard brings to the table during last night’s postgame presser.
“I mean, he sees the game at a different level,” Mitchell said via the Associated Press. “I didn’t notice he only had four shots, but he’s out here creating, making plays, doing different things, and then obviously his gravity, it opens the lane for everybody else, and it’s just continuous. And he’s coaching on the bench in huddles, and that’s why he’s here.”
“He makes the game easy for everybody else, and that’s hard to do. You’ve gotta be a great player to do that… There’s very few players that are like that, they just know the timing of every pass,” Atkinson said.
