James Harden is not feeling young anymore, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are adjusting to get their former MVP going.
James Harden addressed his slow start to the 2026-2027 NBA season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, candidly admitting that age and a lack of heavy summer action have made it take longer to find his rhythm in Year 18.
After opening the season shooting just 36.4% from the field and averaging 15.3 points through his first 11 games, Harden spoke out about getting older.
“I knew it was going to take a little bit of time to get adjusted to the speed, the pace, all of the above,” Harden said, via Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “I’m not young, so I can’t just be ready (immediately), so I already knew that coming into the season.”
James Harden Is Still Trying To Figure Out For The Cavaliers
Harden had a vintage performance at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks, dropping a season-high 32 points, 4 assists, and 2 steals while shooting 9-of-14 from the field (including 5-of-7 from three-point range) in a 115–107 win.
He has described himself as “still trying to figure it out” on the floor, using the early weeks of the regular season to condition his body through games.
“So now it’s like, all right, cool, (now) I feel really good…And the work is automatically getting put in. That’s why I have been able to last so long in this league.”
The Cavaliers have been on a sluggish start to the 2026-2027 NBA season, marked by a bumpy 6–6 record through their first 12 games.
A major catalyst for the slump has been the uncharacteristic play of Harden, who arrived at training camp out of conditioning and has struggled with career-low shooting efficiency and poor defensive effort.
Nonetheless, Harden believes the Cavaliers are still in good shape, despite his early-season struggles.
“We’re in a good space,” Harden said. “A couple of losses where we felt we should’ve won. But all in all, we’re in a good space. I think the most important thing is just trying to get healthy, trying to peak at the right time. So, a long season, just chip away.”
Cavaliers Head Coach Has Full Trust in James Harden
Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson maintains full confidence in James Harden, dismissing early-season panic and emphasizing Harden’s high basketball IQ despite a slow start to the season.
“It’s the James (Harden) we knew last year, right? That’s how we played,” Atkinson said after winning over the defending champions Knicks. “So, like I said, I think it’s very early in the season. Extremely early. I’ll even use the word extremely early.
“So, I think guys take different amounts of time to get into rhythm sometimes, and I saw flashes of that with James in the previous three, four games. It’s getting back to his level, getting back into top form, so it’s nice to see it confirmed tonight.”
Right now, the Cavaliers hope Harden and their top players, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen could start to find their groove from here on.
James Harden Gets Candid on Being Old With The Cavaliers