James Harden already showing Cavs some of what they need from him

James Harden is back with the Cavaliers. More importantly, he seems pretty invested in making this thing work.

Our friend Spencer Davies made that point in a recent piece for Roundtable, noting that Harden gathered several Cavs teammates for workouts in Arizona this offseason.

“James had guys out in Arizona,” Davies said on the Courtside with Cavs podcast. “He had Meleek Thomas, Tyrese Proctor, Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Evan Mobley, and all of the young guys out there. Kenny Atkinson was there and assistant Mike Gerrity. To me, that shows his commitment.”

That’s probably more significant than anything Harden could say about being happy to return.

The Cavs are bringing him back on a reported three-year, $97 million contract after acquiring him from the Clippers at last season’s trade deadline. He and Donovan Mitchell had only 26 regular-season games together before Cleveland’s playoff run ended with a sweep by the Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals.

So this is no longer about introductions. As Davies noted, Harden’s biggest value may be his ability to organize the offense and put teammates in the right places. That includes developing better chemistry with Mitchell, but also making more consistent use of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

Harden can still score. Mitchell obviously can, too. The Cavaliers don’t need either man to prove that. They need Harden to make life easier for everyone else.

Getting teammates together in Arizona in the middle of the offseason doesn’t guarantee anything once the playoffs arrive.

But for a 37-year-old future Hall of Famer who could easily show up, get his numbers and call it a career? It’s not a bad place to start.