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Making a major in-season trade can sometimes disrupt a team’s chemistry. For the Cavaliersadding James Harden has been a breath of fresh air, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN.

“They are two guys that are hungry to take that next step,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said of Harden and fellow star guard Donovan Mitchell. “They’ve kind of hit it off. Been seamless, really. Two guys that are so passionate about the game. They’re both hoop junkies.

“Usually when you have that kind of synergy it goes well. With them, I haven’t seen any misunderstandings or ‘You should have went there.’ They’ve been pretty locked in on the court and off the court. Couldn’t have gotten better so far.”

The only hiccup in the Harden-Mitchell pairing to this point has been injuries — Mitchell will miss his fourth straight game on Tuesday vs. Detroit because of a right groin strain, tweets Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press, while Harden will be active as he plays through a fractured right thumb.

Center Jarrett Allenwhose excellent play over the past month actually preceded Harden’s arrival, said the former MVP has helped him reach a new level.

“The confidence is renewed,” Allen said. “When big changes happen like that, your view shifts. You have more confidence in yourself. … I’m just finding my rhythm. People pass me the ball, Kenny is drawing plays for me, things are just clicking.”

While Cleveland feels good about how the team has been played over the past several weeks, there are still questions about how it will translate to the postseason, Collier notes. Mitchell has never advanced past the second round of the playoffs, while Harden made his lone NBA Finals appearance in 2012, when he won Sixth Man of the Year in his third season with Oklahoma City.

Here’s more from around the Central:

• After Sunday’s victory in Brooklyn, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype asked Cavaliers point guard Harden how much longer he wants to keep playing (Twitter video link). “I know it’s coming soon. Hopefully, later than soon, but it’s reality,” Harden said. “Everybody has to go through this at some point. … Just trying to continue to keep my body in shape and play well. … We’ll see what happens in the next few years. Take it one game at a time and cherish the moments.”
• Second-year forward Matas Buzelis has impressed for the Bulls over the last three games after he had a “heart-to-heart” talk with head coach Billy Donovan about his shot selection and continuing to find ways to impact winning, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. The 21-year-old has averaged 24.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.0 SPG and 1.0 BPG on .520/.429/.727 shooting over that three-game span.
• Indiana hold a team option on Micah Potter’s contract for next season, and the fifth-year big man is making a strong case for the Pacers to exercise it with his recent play, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscriber link).  Over his last eight games (25.6 MPG), Potter is averaging 15.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.0 RPG and 0.9 SPG on .538/.463/.870 shooting. The 27-year-old has some defensive limitation, but he has been a good fit in Indiana’s offensive system, Dopirak writes. “Solid is the word,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. “Micah, that’s what he is. He’s solid. He’s a no-frills player. He doesn’t try to be fancy out there. He plays the game, he works to play to his strengths. I like that he’s a stretch big that can legitimately play some four. That’s a very good thing.” Potter’s $2.8MM salary for 2026/27 would still be non-guaranteed even if the Pacers exercise that option.