James Harden has played alongside plenty of star players, but these two Cleveland Cavaliers are some of the smartest.
James Harden has played alongside some legendary NBA players who are sure-fire Hall of Famers before joining the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In Houston, he and Chris Paul had the 82-win Golden State Warriors on the ropes. Harden shared the floor with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant with the Brooklyn Nets. Joel Embiid and Harden were a feared duo on the Philadelphia 76ers. Then, out with the Los Angeles Clippers, Hared shared the floor with Kawhi Leonard.
With all those players in mind, Harden recently said that Max Strus and Sam Merrill are “two of the smartest basketball players that I’ve played with.”
“Obviously, they can shoot the crap out of the ball, but their body movement, knowing when to screen, when not to screen, how to screen, is very, very important for somebody that can actually shoot the ball like them, and they get it,” explained Harden after Friday night’s win.
Mar 21, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) celebrates with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) during the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn ImagesThe star guard went on to explain how Strus and Merrill’s body movement is what opens up driving lanes for him to either score or kick it out to another open shooter.
On the defensive end, Harden loves how the pair of Cavaliers communicate.
“We've never practiced it; they just communicate,” continued Harden. “They tell me what they were guarding, and they know coming up, who's guarding them, who's guarding me, and it's rare that you can have that. When you find that, you've got something special.”
This is incredibly high praise from a player with a history of playing alongside high-IQ teammates.
When Strus heard about what Harden said, the Cavs forward tried not to crack a smile, but he did anyway.
“He’s been playing what, 17 years? That’s a pretty big compliment,” said Strus. “I think me and Sam strive to make the game easy for those guys, and we study and learn to keep the floor space and get them to their strong suits, and just try to help them be the special players that they are. We take that as a huge compliment and an honor when they say think like that.”
Now that Harden is playing alongside two incredibly smart players, it’s exciting to think about what the ceiling of this Cavaliers team can be.
Cavaliers Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Cavaliers. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.