Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell wishes the narrative surrounding teammate James Harden was different when it comes to the playoffs and his lack of a championship ring.
“I think we ignore leadership by him,” Mitchell told reporters. “I think we ignore the human and the character and who he is. … This man changed the game of basketball in ways we’ve never seen before. We live in such a ring-dominant culture that we’re willing to write a guy off because he hasn’t gotten there. Guy who transcended basketball. In 75 years, no one’s been able to do what he does.
“We don’t talk about his greatness enough.”
Mitchell also pointed out how close Harden was to winning a title before when his Houston Rockets lost to the dominant Golden State Warriors and when his Brooklyn Nets just missed advancing in the postseason when Kevin Durant’s foot was on the three-point line during a potential game-winner against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.
There is no doubting Harden’s overall impact as one of the best players of his generation.
His resume includes a league MVP, three scoring titles, two assist titles, eight All-NBA selections, a Sixth Man of the Year, 11 All-Star Game nods and a spot on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.
While that resume is missing a championship, there have also been playoff struggles that go beyond the simple breakdown of whether he won a ring or not.
Harden has averaged 24.0 points, 7.3 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from deep during the regular season throughout his Hall of Fame career.
However, all of those numbers go down when looking at his playoff averages of 22.2 points, 6.4 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 42.4 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from deep.
Many of the all-time greats elevated their game and overall production under the bright lights of the playoffs, but Harden has not always done the same.
During the New York Knicks’ sweep of Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals, Harden shot an ugly 38.9 percent from the field and 17.9 percent from deep. He also turned it over five or more times in three of the four games.
Still, Mitchell wants the focus to be on Harden’s overall greatness even if there are some playoff question marks lingering over his career.
