INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — Kenny Atkinson was able to do something on Wednesday for the first time since the Cleveland Cavaliers traded for James Harden on Feb. 4.
The Cavaliers held their first practice in a couple of weeks after returning from the All-Star break and began gearing up for the second half of the season.
“We only have one practice. I think your first reaction is, ‘Man, we’ve got to do all these things,’ but just try to keep dialing back and keep it as simple as possible and then kind of add as we go,” the Cavaliers coach said. “It’s like, how can we reduce it to the things that matter? I think we accomplished that.”
Harden had only film sessions and walk-throughs during his first three games with Cleveland, but the 17-year veteran proved to be a quick study. He is averaging 19.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 8.7 assists along with two double-doubles with the Cavaliers.
Jaylon Tyson said he didn’t realize how much of a defensive presence Harden could be until he was his teammate.
“The offensive part, nothing’s really surprised me, but defensively, he’s actually pretty good. He got a couple blocks. He’s definitely not what you call a cone,” Tyson said.
All-star guard Donovan Mitchell has three straight games with at least 30 points, but knows there is still an adjustment period going on with Harden.
“We haven’t even gotten to playing a two-man game together and what that looks like. So I think as we build, you’ll start seeing that as well. But I think the biggest thing now is we found something that works,” Mitchell said.
Most of Wednesday’s prepractice film session and practice was devoted to defense. The Cavaliers are tied for the third-worst 3-point defense in the league, allowing 37.2% from beyond the arc, and are in the middle of the league in most categories.
Atkinson said they went back to some of the stuff installed during training camp to get newcomers Harden, Dennis Schroeder, and Keon Ellis up to speed, and to provide a refresher course for the veterans.
Atkinson added that it is likely Evan Mobley and Dean Wade could return to the lineup on Thursday. Mobley, the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year, has missed the last seven games due to a left calf strain, while Wade was sidelined for three games due to a sprained left ankle.
The Cavaliers have won all three games with Harden in the lineup. Cleveland is also on a five-game winning streak going into Thursday night’s game against Brooklyn. It is 17-5 since Dec. 29 and has a league-best .772 winning percentage during that span.
Cleveland (34-21) is fourth in the Eastern Conference, but is only 1 1/2 games behind Boston for second. The game against the Nets begins a stretch of five in seven days, including a trip to Oklahoma City on Sunday and a home game against the New York Knicks on Tuesday.
“We all have to make sure we’re locked in and ready to go,” said Mitchell, who is fifth in the league in scoring at 29.0 points per game. “This is no easy stretch. You can look up and be in bad shape right off the bat.”
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