The Cleveland Cavaliers want to see their in-season trade for James Harden pay off in a big way during the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
Lately, Harden’s struggles have led to him getting crushed by the critics. After back-to-back bad games to open up the second-round series against the Detroit Pistons, there isn’t a positive spin for Harden’s struggles.
However, Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green cuts the former MVP some slack.
Draymond Green Analyzes James Harden’s Struggles
The Warriors forward believes that the matchup has a lot to do with it.
He rattled off each key player on the Pistons who has to guard Harden at times. Dropping names and the sizes of Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, and Jalen Duren, Green believes that a “big a** lineup” contributes to Harden’s struggles.
“All those guys are much, much, much younger than him,” Green said. “And all of them are probably taller. All except Duncan at this point are more athletic. … A part of the struggles are, man, them guys are young and athletic as hell. They’re presenting a problem for him, but to tie it to everything and try to discredit who he is as a player and the resume he’s built? Come on, man. Some series are much tougher than others. I think you can see in this series, it’s just been tough for him.”
The Cavaliers Need James Harden To Rise Above It
The size and athleticism is surely playing a part. A potential minor injury might be as well. However, the Cavaliers need Harden to rise above it all and help the Cavaliers force a fifth game into the series.
Trailing 0-2 heading into Saturday’s Game 3, the Cavaliers are in dangerous territory. Harden has seen it all through 17 seasons of experience, so he knows what he needs to do. Soon, we’ll see if Harden and the Cavs can execute.