James Harden’s Injury Hits Cleveland Cavaliers at Crucial Time
If the timeline for Harden’s return holds, his absence will come at a challenging moment for the Cavaliers.
Cleveland faces tough competition ahead, with five of their next seven games against top Eastern Conference teams, including two against the Detroit Pistons (42-14, first in Eastern Conference). They will also compete against the Boston Celtics (38-19, second in Eastern Conference), Philadelphia 76ers (32-26, sixth in Eastern Conference), and Orlando Magic (31-26, seventh in Eastern Conference).
Additionally, the Milwaukee Bucks (25-31, 11th in Eastern Conference) will be without their star Giannis Antetokounmpo for Wednesday’s match. However, the Cavs will also miss guard Donovan Mitchell (groin) and center Evan Mobley (calf), which puts them in a precarious position against a team they are expected to defeat.
Since being traded from the Los Angeles Clippers before the 2026 deadline, Harden has averaged 18.9 points and eight assists per game for the Cavs, shooting 49.4/48.4/86.7. Cleveland has been strong with a 6-1 record during this period, averaging 120.1 points per game.
The team currently holds a 2.5-game lead over the Toronto Raptors (34-24, fifth in Eastern Conference), aiming for a top-four seed and home-court advantage in the playoffs. However, with a challenging schedule ahead, that lead may dwindle if Harden is sidelined for long.
Mitchell will likely take on the primary scoring role again, depending on the severity of his injury. He needs to improve his three-point shooting, which has dropped since Harden’s arrival. In the last seven games, Mitchell has averaged 27 points but is shooting only 26% from beyond the arc on 7.1 attempts per game, a significant decline from his previous rate of 38.1%.
While Harden’s injury doesn’t seem severe, it could still impact the team. Cleveland had been on a roll, winning 13 of their last 15 games, and this setback could disrupt their momentum.