James Harden says Cleveland finally had time this summer to build communication and chemistry after his midseason arrival before last year's playoff run.
James Harden went to a Cleveland Browns game Sunday, two days after he, Donovan Mitchell, and Tyrese Proctor watched Walsh Jesuit play Archbishop Hoban in high school football. The Cleveland Cavaliers held media day at Rocket Arena on Monday and leave for Spain on Tuesday.
Harden Says Cavaliers Needed Time to Learn Each Other
Harden said the playoff run last spring left no time for teammates to understand each other.
"I feel like me just getting traded here with 20-something games, we really didn't have an opportunity to have that team bonding," Harden said. "Those 20 games and then you're preparing for the postseason, and then this postseason is like everything is intensified. Everything is just like focus, focus, focus, focus. You don't really understand each other."
"So this summer was a really good opportunity for us to, like, learn each other," Harden continued. "And then obviously we still got some work in, but learn each other off the court, kind of just hang out, play the game, watch movies, go bowling, things like that."
"So and then we kind of building off that, from going to the football game, high school football game Friday," Harden added. "We went to the Browns game yesterday. And then we go to Spain. So just building it, just one day at a time, literally."
Cleveland went 19-7 in the 26 regular-season games Harden played after the trade, according to Yahoo Sports. In the playoffs, he logged 37.3 minutes a night across 18 games, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. The Cavaliers then won seven-game series over Toronto and Detroit before the New York Knicks swept them in the Eastern Conference finals.
Harden arrived as the 2018 MVP and an 11-time All-Star. Evan Mobley was the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year in 2024-25. Last season, he averaged 18.2 points and 9.0 rebounds in 65 games.
Harden Says Offseason Built Better Communication
Harden credited the last few months with building something between him and his teammates. He sees that familiarity as important once communication becomes more direct during the season.
"We will carry it over," Harden explained. "Like I just said before, like, understanding somebody, like in any job that we have or any job in the world. Like, if you don't know anybody, you don't know how to communicate with the person."
"So just even though, like, me getting traded here, I'm James Harden, so, like, Evan might not know how to talk to me," Harden continued. "He might want to say something but don't understand how to say it, or don't want to say it. So that's a part of it, or [Jarrett Allen]."
"But now it's like giving them comfortability to come talk to me, or me talk to them, in ways that we never really had before, because everything happened so fast," Harden added. "So that's very, very important in any situation. But I think we've built some really good stuff over these last few months."
Harden Gets Full Season Alongside Donovan Mitchell
A full season alongside Mitchell is a bonus in Harden's view. The two stars now have training camp and an entire regular season to learn what works instead of being thrown together for the stretch run.
"Well, we got to do a lot. I can't put [my finger on] one thing," Harden said. "… Now we got a whole season to figure out what works, what doesn't work, and then kind of go from there, which is definitely a bonus for us."
Mitchell, a seven-time All-Star, said at his own availability Monday that this summer was probably the most time he has spent with teammates outside of a season in his career. He signed a four-year, $273 million extension in July, and Harden re-signed on a three-year, $97 million contract in August.
Harden Keeps Media Day Session Light
Harden spoke for about nine minutes and opened the session with the lighter questions. His first car was a Taurus, he now drives an Escalade, and his favorite Thanksgiving side is stuffing, cooked inside the turkey. These days, a chef handles his Thanksgiving.
The session ended with a question from Jaylon Tyson, who asked Harden to name his favorite player on the Cavaliers. Harden named Tyson.
Tyson averaged 13.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 66 games last season, with 42 starts. Cleveland drafted him in 2024, and he turns 24 in December. His career high is 39 points, set Jan. 16 against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Tyson appeared in 17 playoff games and averaged 4.1 points. Proctor enters his second season. Thomas Bryant also attended Friday's game, according to Sports Illustrated's Cavaliers site.
Cleveland is taking 21 players to Spain. The first practice at The Embassy in Fuengirola is Wednesday, and the regular season opens Oct. 22 in Philadelphia against LeBron James and the 76ers.
