Donovan Mitchell reveals how Cavaliers changed to accommodate James Harden originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The NBA Playoffs loom over the Cleveland Cavaliers. As of the moment, they are one of the heavy-hitters in the Eastern Conference and will likely go far in the postseason. A lot of this can be attributed to Coach Kenny Atkinson’s schemes and Donovan Mitchell’s leadership on the court. However, there is one change that came from James Harden which might give them a shot at the Larry O’Brien trophy.
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Cavaliers change training methods for Harden
What’s the big change? Well, the Cavaliers do not prefer shootarounds anymore since Harden landed on their roster. Instead, Coach Atkinson has been leading ballroom walk-through sessions to help the squad familiarize his schemes. So far, this has landed the squad a net rating of +4.3 which is ninth in the league. Their offensive rating is also fourth heading into the NBA Playoffs and is valued at 119.6.
Mitchell unveiled his initial doubts about the practices that Harden brought. He and the rest of the Cavaliers eventually started to love these ballroom walk-through sessions before games, via Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
“You don’t got to go full speed, and you can be in your socks for all we care. Being able to be in certain positions in the morning so that way your brain remembers it at night, I think, that’s something I’ve done my whole career. And every coach is different, right, everybody’s different. But I think Harden bringing that, I think is special,” Mitchell declared.
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As of the moment, the Cavaliers’ seeding in the NBA Playoffs is not yet final. Coach Atkinson still has to lead his team to three more regular season games. But, the Cavaliers do have a fighting chance to usurp the New York Knicks if they extend their win streak up until the 82nd game of the season. Mitchell noted that a big part of that was Harden’s veteran acumen and how he shaped the team’s culture in such a short time.
“I think that’s a testament to him. We’ve also adjusted, and we knew that when we were gonna make the trade, we’re going to have to adjust, for sure. And for him, you see how easy it is for him to make these plays, right? So it’s kind of being able to stay in our spots, not as much movement. And then when I’m in the second unit, it’s like, all right, we’re going,” the Cavaliers star added.
The media may not show it a lot but Harden is arguably one of the best veterans in the league right now. Will he be able to help this Cavaliers squad make a deep NBA Playoffs run?
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