In 2021, the Cleveland Cavaliers were part of a three-team trade involving James Harden and Jarrett Allen. At the time, it was seen as savvy to get in on a trade where the Brooklyn Nets needed to offload Allen to take on Harden. It feels almost surreal that a half-decade later, Allen and Harden are now a pivotal pairing in this new era of Cavaliers basketball.
In Harden’s short time in the wine and gold, what’s stood out most hasn’t been his scoring, but his ability to connect with Allen. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to those familiar with Harden-oriented offenses since his Houston Rockets days. Harden has led to career years for his bigs, such as Clint Capela in Houston, Joel Embiid in Philadelphia, Ivica Zubac in Los Angeles, and now Allen.
What is it about Harden that leads to this transformation amongst talented big men? It’s not like Harden turns pumpkins into All-Stars. The bigs listed above are all talented. It’s the consciousness and precision of Harden’s movements and understanding of how defenses respond to his every step.
Harden’s reputation as a three-level scorer demands attention. There’s a respect in how tightly defenders crowd him, knowing that at any moment the pitter-patter dribble into a step-back is coming — the move that frustrates both opposing fans and defenses alike. That looming threat forces defenders to split their attention. Stay home, and Harden steps back. Press up, and he’s by you — with a rolling big diving into space.
This was apparent from the jump with Harden.
Yes, this is the Sacramento Kings, who were trudging out a G-League roster with cameos from Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan. However, look at how the defense is having to react to the Harden and Allen pairing. Right at the beginning of the pick and roll, defenses are met with multiple choices. Those quick decisions include whether to switch, pressure Harden on ball with a double, or to rotate to meet Allen off the roll. All needs to be decided within two seconds. These actions happen in a blur, and defenses through two games have not.
Allen has posted 29 points and 22 points with Harden in the lineup. That is not something to brush off. Allen, for long stretches this season, has been an offensive afterthought. He was a name to monitor at the deadline, as it appears the Cavaliers threw their hands up with their former All-Star big man.
Allen is not the dynamic on-ball threat that some bigs are, where he can get the ball on the block and create his own shot. Allen is a play finisher, which is exactly where Harden comes in. The Cavaliers’ offense, led by Donovan Mitchell handling primary on-ball duties, was not unlocking the bigs like Harden has.
Lineups with Harden running point with Allen at center have been on an absolute heater. The Cavaliers are posting 120.7 points per 100 possessions (88th percentile) and 108.9 points per 100 possessions in the half-court (98th percentile) with both on the floor. Swap out Harden for Mitchell on point, and those numbers drop to a 116.2 offensive rating (59th percentile) and 101.3 half-court offensive rating (78th percentile).
This isn’t a slight on Mitchell, who obviously is as dynamic a player as there is in the league. Harden is simply more of a play starter for his teammates than Mitchell. This only shows that Harden can take some of the responsibility for the Cavaliers’ offense off Mitchell.
This season, it felt like the Cavaliers could only survive if Mitchell is at his best. That usually doesn’t involve him trying to get the bigs involved. If anything, it feels like with Mitchell’s slashing ability, the Cavs’ bigs more often than not can get in the way on drives to the hoop.
Harden’s play is complementary to the bigs. Hence why Allen is standing out from the opening tip. This isn’t a short-term thing, there are tons of context throughout the career of Harden to know that this is here to stay.
Harden is a center’s best friend. Allen, who at one point was the one who seemed most likely of the core four to be on the move, instead will be the biggest beneficiary of the Cavaliers’ win-now move.
