Cavs Notes: Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Max Strus, Dean Wade

April 21, 2026

The Cavs knew coming in that the partnership between Donovan Mitchell and James Harden would take time.

As Tony Pesta of Fear The Sword detailed, the two have combined for 112 points through the first two games of their playoff series against the Toronto Raptors, leaning heavily on communication to accelerate their chemistry.

Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers, Cavs, Brandon Ingram, Raptors, NBA — Imagn

“A lot of times in timeouts, we’ll spend two-thirds of the timeout us communicating amongst each other,” Mitchell said. “Just trying to make these adjustments and pick apart what we see.”

It shows up on both ends. Offensively, they are finding balance. Defensively, Harden has been especially vocal, helping organize the group and even coming up with key plays, including five steals in Game 2.

“I know we are behind,” said Harden. “So I think what speeds that process up is communication and helping each other out… I don’t even know how many games we’ve played together, so our communication during games, on practice days, is very important because that can get us over the hump.”

There is still work to do. There always is this time of year. But through two games, the Cavs are getting what they need.

“They’re in constant conversations about what’s going on out there,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “In the huddle, they are de facto leaders.”

Strus Delivering

It has been a long climb back for Max Strus. Now he is making it count.

As Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor noted, Strus has stepped into a major bench role after missing time with a foot injury, scoring 24 points in Game 1 and logging heavy minutes again in Game 2.

Different context, same idea. The Cavs have needed guys to step in and contribute on the fly. Strus has done just that.

That was not a guarantee. Following surgery to repair a Jones fracture, there were real questions about whether he would be back and effective this spring. Cleveland is getting its answer now.

Wade Setting Defensive Tone

While Strus has brought some offense and other intangibles, Dean Wade has handled the defensive heavy lifting.

The Cavs have gone with Wade as the starting small forward in the playoffs, and his work on Brandon Ingram has stood out. Ingram managed just seven points on 3-of-15 shooting in Game 2.

That has not gone unnoticed.

“He deserves a bunch of credit,” Mitchell said, not wanting to end his press conference without mentioning Wade. “I know he only had three points, but his impact is extremely high outside of just the scoring.”

Wade is set to hit free agency this summer. Performances like this only help his case.