James Harden’s slow start to the season for the Cleveland Cavaliers arguably reached its low point when he managed to score just seven points in 34 minutes in a 109-97 home loss to the New York Knicks last Saturday. In a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, the Cavaliers looked like they had no chance to unseat the Knicks with Harden playing like that.
But just a few days later, Harden had arguably his best game of the season, visiting the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. He scored 32 points in 33 minutes of the encouraging 115-107 victory, shooting 64.3 percent from the field and making five of seven 3-point attempts.
A recent report from insider Joe Vardon of The Athletic shed light on Harden’s early-season struggles, with the 37-year-old acknowledging that he was not as prepared as he should have been.
“James Harden reportedly showed up to training camp out of shape and is still working his way into game shape, per Joe Vardon. Harden admitted he didn’t play much pickup basketball over the summer and knew he would be a step slower until he got his conditioning back,” NBA Central posted.
James Harden reportedly showed up to training camp out of shape and is still working his way into game shape, per @joevardon
Harden admitted he didn’t play much pickup basketball over the summer and knew he would be a step slower until he got his conditioning back. pic.twitter.com/aZMhkDV5dp
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 12, 2026
That is not the ideal behavior a team should expect from someone who received a three-year, $97 million contract extension during the offseason. But Harden knows that it is more important for him to be at his peak later in the campaign than right now.
Yet, with the Cavaliers losing five of seven games after a 3-1 start, they could not afford to wait much longer for him to turn things around. Hopefully, this performance against the Knicks is a sign of things to come, at least more regularly than had been the case so far.
In six games in October, Harden shot 37.7 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from 3-point range. In five November games before Wednesday, he shot 34.5 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from long distance. He had scored 20 points just once, with 24 against the Atlanta Hawks two days before Halloween.
Harden was acquired by the Cavaliers last February in a trade that sent Darius Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers. Cleveland was 21-9 with Harden, who averaged 20.5 points, 7.7 assists, and 4.8 rebounds after the All-Star break. He then averaged 19.2 points, 5.5 assists, and 5.1 rebounds in 18 postseason games as Cleveland made the conference finals for the first time since 2018.
Now, as they look to go at least one step further, the Cavaliers will need Harden at his best more often than not throughout the regular season and into the playoffs.
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