James Harden and Donovan Mitchell Finally Get a Full Season Together

The backcourt of the Cleveland Cavaliers proved itself from the very first minutes of the partnership. James Harden made sure to deliver all the baskets the team needed during his debut against the Sacramento Kings. On a night where Donovan Mitchell also had it going on, he just knew his backcourt mate was feeling it.

Travis Scott came and crashed the post-game presser, making it an even more memorable first game for the new star-studded duo in the Cavs backcourt.

And now that the two of them will be getting a full season together, the sky is really the limit.

Taking Pressure Off One Another

As if Donovan Mitchell wasn’t already difficult to stop before, but now he has one of the best isolation players of the past decade next to him. James Harden has thrived as a playmaking guard over the past decade. Just how dominant he has been, can be summed up by Trevor Ariza with some tidbits of what he said during past podcast interviews about their time as teammates.

Truly an all-time talent, Harden is in fact in the twilight of his long career now, But the thing is, he really isn’t showing signs of slowing down. He helped the Clippers in-season turnaround last year by averaging 25 points and eight assists per game as the number one option amidst some turmoil. He arrived in Cleveland needing to play a different role, and he was able to do just that.

When the game (and really, the season) was on the line against Detroit, it was Harden who stepped in to knock down the clutch three. The amount of attention he draws is going to continue to make it so easy for Mitchell to get free.

And with such an impressive scorer in Mitchell requiring all that attention, it won’t be easy for teams to send double-teams at Harden, allowing him to both hit his threes and find the open man.

This might be the most dangerous backcourt in the entire association right now. The other ones that can be argued might be Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards. That’s it.

Taking Cavs to Next Level

If the Cavs do want to win a championship, they know they will need stellar play from the James Harden-Donovan Mitchell duo. Limiting turnovers and getting buckets when they are needed will be the main keys. This was a problem against the Knicks last year, so the hope will be that it is left in the rearview.

The team will go as far as the backcourt pair takes them. They have the talent around these guys now to take some pressure off and make plays, but that’s pending that the heavy lifting is already sort of taken care of.

Mitchell is not only one of the best scorers in the game today, but he’s got a track record of delivering those numbers in the playoffs too. Harden has had good postseason moments, but also done a number of disappearing acts.

The good news here is that these two have each other to both hold the other accountable, and set them up for success. For all the superstars Harden has played with in his career, Mitchell (save for Kevin Durant) may be the most talented offensively. The efficiency he scores with is something to behold.

Harden helped get Peyton Watson in the door. He waited to sign his contract until everything else was good to go. And it’s because of that, that this team was able to be created as it is. The selflessness of the 37-year-old is fantastic to see. And his 30-year-old backcourt mate Donovan Mitchell ,entering year nine, looks ready to go.

Watch out for these two, other 29 teams.

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