Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden loves being teammates with Donovan Mitchell.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden has been ecstatic about his backcourt partnership with Donovan Mitchell.
During an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Harden spoke about why he loves playing with Mitchell.
“A star that is unselfish,” Harden said about Mitchell. “He has no problem with giving me the ball or his feel for the game. That is where we complement each other. If I have it going or he has it going, we don’t have any problem letting each other keep going. That is better for our team.
“I’m unselfish. He is unselfish. You have two guys who want to complement each other. That is the most important thing.”
The Cavaliers are 18-6 with Harden in the lineup. The future Hall of Famer is averaging 20.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game in a Cleveland uniform.
Some people thought Mitchell and Harden wouldn't co-exist since both players are ball-dominant stars. However, Mitchell is averaging 25.7 points per game next to Harden, who is averaging 19.9 points per game alongside Mitchell.
"I’m at a point in my career where I don’t have no pride," Harden said. "I think everybody knows what I want to accomplish. However that looks, whether I’m scoring 25 or dishing out the ball. It’s a game feel. It’s a series feel.”
With Harden, Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen leading the way, the Cavaliers are under major pressure to reach the conference finals this year.
Mitchell, Mobley and Allen have never been to the conference finals. Harden made the NBA Finals in 2012 with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He hasn't been back since.
“It’s an opportunity to reach the endpoint for me,” Harden said. “We all know what that is. Just because it’s a different team doesn’t mean it’s always going to be easy. It isn’t always going to be a breeze. Luckily, I’ve dealt with the situation multiple times in my career. I’m just trying to find ways to put my input on the team and end up with the end result.”
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