Are the Cleveland Cavaliers Better?
Darius Garland was traded away for an aging but still offensively potent James Harden. Does this trade make sense in the Eastern conference, considering what the numbers say?
It is kind of unsettling to see James Harden in a Cavaliers jersey, but this is nothing new as the Cavs are going to be the sixth NBA franchise he has played for. Nothing surprising at all, as Harden is known to ask teams to trade him.
Much more surprising and unexpected is the Cavs’ decision to trade Darius Garland away–an all-star who has been a Cleveland Cavalier for all his career. He has steadily improved over the years and has slowly risen to be a core player, together with Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen.
This season’s stat averages:
James Harden: 25 points per game; 8.1 assists per game; 5 rebounds per game; 42% shooting; 44 games played
Darius Garland: 18 points per game; 7 assists per game; 2 rebounds per game; 45% shooting; 26 games played
By the statline alone, James Harden is the better player. This season, Darius Garland has already missed a lot of games due to injury, while James Harden has carried the Clippers on his back with Kawhi Leonard out in a lot of their games. Harden appears to be the more durable one, judging by the number of games played. Surprising, right?
This implies that the Cavaliers may be in win-now mode, as Donovan Mitchell is going to be a free agent soon. They believe that they have a chance in the eastern conference, and a lot of pundits believe that they are at least going to the conference semifinals with the Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, and Boston Celtics.
The questions are these: how would James Harden play with Donovan Mitchell? Would he ruin the chemistry of the core players?
In his first two games in a Cavs jersey, Harden averaged 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists on 50% shooting. This is not bad at all. Donovan Mitchell averaged 34 points, 7 assists, and 2 steals–a promising statline that predicts these two can indeed play together. Mitchell actually produced more with Harden as his teammate. They just won their first 2 games together, against the Sacramento Kings and the Denver Nuggets.
Things seem to be exciting again in Cleveland.
DAILY FANTASY PICKS:
Captain: Donovan Mitchell
Vice Captain: James Harden
Key picks: Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, Sam Merrill
You may use the suggested picks for this week’s contests to play Daily Fantasy now! Here’s how to get you started.
