How James Harden and Evan Mobley are starting to show ‘nice synergy’ in pick-and-roll

Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden is the best pick-and-roll player of this generation. He’s developed seemingly instant chemistry with his various pick-and-roll partners throughout his career.

The key to Harden’s success is two-fold. First, he’s incredibly skilled. Harden can make every pass on the court, creates space with his lateral quickness, has excellent touch, and has the strength to initiate and finish through contact. Additionally, he processes the game at an incredibly high level.

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That second part is what head coach Kenny Atkinson believes makes him such a good pick-and-roll player.

“The number one thing I’m usually frustrated with coming out of watching game film is decision making,” Atkinson said. “Even the really, really good players, you get frustrated. ‘Man, there’s three choices here, why did you pick the wrong one?’ I’m not sure I’ve had one of those with James yet.”

Despite how well Harden sees the game, there can still be an adjustment period when you’re working with a new pick-and-roll partner.

Jason Kidd, one of the premier point guards of his generation and now head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, said that it would take him up to half a season before he really felt comfortable with playing alongside a new big. “You have to be able to understand and be truthful to your teammates about what their abilities are if you want to have success,” Kidd said.

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Harden is working through that process with Evan Mobley. The duo has been watching film together, trying to figure out how to best make their pick-and-roll game work. It hasn’t always been smooth sailing, but Tuesday’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks showed that the Cavs can have success with that duo.

It’s important to acknowledge Mobley’s strengths and weaknesses. He’s not a physical screen setter. That isn’t a part of his game and won’t be unless he puts on considerably more…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/james-harden-evan-mobley-starting-200000828.html

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Publish date : 2026-03-18 20:00:00

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