Everything James Harden, Donovan Mitchell Said About Cavs Debut After Surprising Trade with Clippers

Following James Harden's successful Cleveland Cavaliers debut on Saturday night, both he and teammate Donovan Mitchell commented on his highly publicized arrival.

Playing in his first game as a member of the Cavs after Cleveland acquired him from the Los Angeles Clippers for guard Darius Garland and a second-round pick, Harden suggested to reporters that getting acclimated to the team will be a process.

"I just gotta figure out where I fit in," Harden said. "That won't be hard at all. I told the guys just do what you all do and I'll figure it out. I'm good enough to figure it out and insert myself in.

"But you know, no practices. This is my first time playing 5-on-5 since about a week ago, so it's a little rusty. I'm just happy we got the win."

Despite being thrown right into the proverbial fire without much of an opportunity to get familiar with his new surroundings, Harden finished with 23 points, eight assists and two rebounds in 32 minutes for the Cavs in a 132-126 road win over the Sacramento Kings.

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Mitchell, who led all scorers with 35 points, acknowledged to reporters that it took some time to figure out where Harden fit before everyone settled in during the second half.

"When you have a guy who's established like that ... it takes that little bit of—not awkwardness because I've known him, but it's one of those things when you're trying to figure it out, it took a half to be like, 'OK,'" Mitchell said. "It's a testament to him; it's a testament to our group. And it's not just me; it's everybody. You just continue to take steps, and then when it was time for the fourth quarter, you just pick and choose."

After posting the best record in the Eastern Conference last season, the Cavaliers started this season with a disappointing 15-14 record. However, they have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA as of late, winning three games in a row and eight of their past nine.

Cleveland's recent run of success started well before the Harden trade, but the front office decided to take a big swing anyway given how wide open the Eastern Conference appears to be this season.

In the 36-year-old Harden, the Cavs landed an 11-time All-Star, three-time scoring champion and one-time NBA MVP.

Harden became a better playmaker than scorer in more recent years, leading the NBA with 10.7 assists per game in 2022-23.

This season, Harden is averaging 8.1 assists per game, and his 25.4 points per game marks his best scoring average since the 2019-20 season with the Houston Rockets, which was the last of his three consecutive scoring titles.

When the Cavaliers acquired Harden, there was plenty of speculation about whether he would mesh well with Mitchell since they are both ball-dominant guards.

On Saturday, Harden allowed the seven-time All-Star to take charge as a scorer, and he was happy to facilitate.

Harden was impressed with Mitchell's performance, telling reporters, "Tonight, you didn't even know he got 35. He's just so effortless; he doesn't force it. He just plays the game the right way."

While it was only one game, early returns on the Harden-Mitchell pairing are positive.

They will face a much tougher test in their next game on Monday night, though, when they go up against the 34-19 Denver Nuggets, who are two games better than the 32-21 record the Cavs have compiled thus far.