March 20, 2026, 5:50 a.m. PT
The James Harden trade has elevated the Cleveland Cavaliers team. The early returns have been great for this squad. Every team Harden is on, he elevates. He specifically gets the most out of his big man. During Harden’s time with the Clippers, Ivica Zubac put up the best numbers in his career. Jarrett Allen has been banged up and missed games, but in his short time with Harden, he looked like a completely different player.
In the last matchup for Cleveland, Evan Mobley and James Harden were a winning duo. They both outshone Donovan Mitchell in the win vs the Bucks. Harden had 27 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals. Evan Mobley had 27 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks. That is the production you want to see from Mobley.
Trading for Harden was to help make this team more of a contender and put this team in position to win a chip. Another goal from that trade was to unlock Evan Mobley. Vs the Bucks that is exactly what happened.
Jarrett Allen and Jame Harden were a fun duo to watch, but Evan Mobley is a player a team can build around. If Harden can help him get to a superstar level, regardless of coming up short or not in the playoffs, that would be a huge win for Cleveland. Mobley has already been named All-NBA and won a DPOY at the age of 25, but there is still even more untapped potential. Harden could be the key needed to unlock that.
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