Mike D’Antoni has message for anyone who thinks James Harden is ‘done’

James Harden isn’t the James Harden who won an MVP and routinely made 40-point nights look almost normal.

Mike D’Antoni knows that. He also thinks people have taken that observation way too far.

D’Antoni, who coached Harden during four seasons in Houston, pushed back hard on the idea that the Cavaliers guard is nearing the end as an impact player.

“Superstars, when they just slip a little bit, people think, ‘Oh, well, he’s done,’” D’Antoni told Kyle Odegard of Action Network, via ClutchPoints. “No, he isn’t. James is still one of the best players in the league.”

D’Antoni would know a little something about Harden. He coached him from 2016-20, including Harden’s MVP season in 2017-18, when the Rockets won 65 games and came within one victory of reaching the NBA Finals.

Of course, Harden is 37 now. He’s not going to be that guy again. The Cavs don’t need him to be.

They need the guy who averaged 23.6 points and 8.0 assists last season while shooting 37.5 percent on 3-pointers. They need Harden to organize the offense, make life easier on Donovan Mitchell and occasionally take over when the situation demands it.

D’Antoni believes Harden’s basketball brain is what should allow him to keep doing exactly that.

“He will always figure it out, because the guy is one of the most intelligent players I’ve coached,” D’Antoni said. “Even though he’s maybe not as proficient as in his best days, he’s still really, really good. I think people lose sight of that.”

There’s the point. Harden doesn’t have to turn back the clock. Cleveland didn’t give him a three-year, $97 million contract this summer expecting 2018 Harden to suddenly walk through the door.

The Cavs just need the current version to remain really good. They already know what happened after acquiring him from the Clippers last season. Cleveland reached the Eastern Conference finals for the first time without LeBron James since 1992, although it ended badly with a sweep by the eventual champion Knicks.

Now comes a full season of Harden and Mitchell together. Done? The Cavs are betting nearly $100 million that he’s anything but.