James Harden gives Cavs fans a glimpse of what they’ve been waiting for

Plenty of Cavaliers fans still aren’t quite sure what to make of James Harden. Sunday night probably helped.

Harden made his preseason debut and looked awfully comfortable doing it, scoring a game-high 24 points as the Cavs beat the Magic 119-105 at Rocket Arena.

He made his first five shots, finished 7-of-10 from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, and generally looked like a guy who knew exactly where he wanted the ball and what he wanted to do with it. Not bad for 37.

Harden sat out Cleveland’s preseason opener against Boston with ankle soreness. Coach Kenny Atkinson called that absence “just caution.” There didn’t appear to be much to worry about Sunday.

The Cavs acquired Harden in the middle of last season, which meant introducing one of the most ball-dominant and accomplished guards in NBA history on the fly. There was only so much practice time available, only so much opportunity to figure out where everybody fit.

Now Cleveland gets a full training camp with him. And for one preseason night, anyway, you could see the possibilities.

Harden controlled the pace, created offense and still showed he can score in bunches when needed.

Evan Mobley finished with 14 points and seven rebounds despite shooting 3-of-10 from the field. Jaylon Tyson added 13 points in 16 minutes and knocked down three 3-pointers.

Mario Hezonja also bounced back nicely from a sluggish preseason opener, finishing with 13 points, five rebounds, three blocks and two steals.

Perhaps just as encouraging was the other end. The Cavs weren’t pleased with their defensive effort or rebounding in the loss to Boston. Atkinson called rebounding a concern afterward and said, “We gotta be better.”

They were better Sunday. Orlando shot 13-of-36 from 3-point range and never consistently cracked Cleveland’s defense off the dribble. The Cavs were more active at the point of attack and generally did a better job finishing possessions.

It’s preseason, so nobody needs to start planning a parade.

But Harden looked healthy, the defense looked sharper and the Cavs looked more like the team they expect to be.

For one night in October, that’ll do