The biggest challenge in the James Harden trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers is the fundamental clash of playstyles. Generally speaking, the Cavaliers under Kenny Atkinson play a high-tempo style with ball movement; James Harden is the ultimate heliocentric player who needs the ball in his hands, dictates the decision-making, and prefers a methodical, slower pace.

Coach Kenny Atkinson has famously defined Cleveland's brand of basketball as "organized chaos." Harden, however, leans heavily into the "organized" part. It's constant movement from all five players and 0.5-second decision-making. Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs' focal point on offense, thrives in this system. But the slow, iso oriented Harden? The statistical divide between the Cavs and Harden's Clippers tells the story:

Pace: Cleveland ranks 7th in the league at 101.7, while the Clippers sit at 29th with 95.9.

Ball Movement: Cleveland ranks 13th in the league with 292.2 passes per game. The Clippers are 28th with 265.7.

So, how is this working so far, after the first two games? First of all, a major caveat. Harden himself said, in the attached clip, that Cleveland didn't practice at all, at least before the first game against the Kings, and instead watched video. And it shows. Harden knows the plays, but he's not yet at Cleveland's pace, and it's doubtful he ever will be. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's quite possible he adds a dimension to the Cavs they didn't have —one that's significant in the final minutes of a playoff game, assuming we set aside the veteran superstar's historical dysfunction in such games.

The games themselves also make it difficult to reach an early conclusion about Harden's integration. The close victory over Sacramento, 132-126, was an uninspired performance against a depleted team trying to tank. Cleveland needed 29 points from Donovan Mitchell in the second half and 16 combined points from Mitchell and Harden down the stretch to overcome one of the weakest teams in the league.

Harden finished with 23 points and 8 assists in 32 minutes. In the second game, Cleveland beat a Western Conference contender, the Denver Nuggets, and made a fourth-quarter comeback, including a critical three-pointer by Harden that tied the game and an impressive and uncharacteristic defensive sequence against Nikola Jokić, where he forced him (along with help from Jarrett Allen) to pass to Tim Hardaway Jr., who missed a critical shot. Also uncharacteristic was Harden's 10 rebounds, along with 7 assists and 22 points.

It should also be said that Harden is necessarily an upgrade over Darius Garland, who simply hasn't played enough this season due to recurring injuries. He also hasn't yet collaborated with Evan Mobley, who's gotten used to being the second option in Cleveland's fast break.

For now, whether Atkinson likes it or not, Harden is an isolation player. He won't make a decision in 0.5 seconds, but rather will take his time, dribble between his legs a few times, and find his sweet spot. This isn't necessarily bad: a good coach uses his players' abilities, and Atkinson already did this in the out-of-bounds play with which Harden tied the game against Denver at 117-117, with 31.4 seconds left in the game. It was an isolation—a dirty word in Cleveland over the last season and a half, where Harden received the ball on the wing, dribbled between his legs as usual, and hit a three over Hardaway Jr. Maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks, but in the initial stage, the Cavs are relying on the old ones.

Here's a more representative example from the game against Sacramento: Harden sets a ball screen for Mitchell, forcing a switch. Mitchell drives from the left to the middle; three players are moving in Cleveland's wheel motion, and Harden moves a bit late. The spacing between him and the nearest player, Sam Merrill, is problematic. Mitchell passes to Merrill, Merrill swings to Harden, and here's the difference between the new acquisition and the rest of the team - an average Cleveland player attacks the basket straight away. Harden takes his time, dribbles a few times, stops the offensive flow, but finishes with a three. It's different from Cleveland's style, but is it bad? One can assume that Atkinson welcomed the three-pointer.

The reason for optimism is first and foremost Harden's immense talent, his basketball intelligence, and, most importantly, in the end, despite the stylistic differences from Harden, Cleveland's offensive game is based on the ball screen - according to Synergy, 24.2 percent of their offensive possessions are scored from ball screens, whether by the ball handler or the roll man.

 Harden is one of the best in the world of all time at this play. Here, in the game against the Nuggets, a double staggered pick-and-roll that Harden receives (77) ends in an easy layup when Allen's cut to the basket (one of the best in the league in this area) draws the defense's attention and allows Harden to drive.

But Cleveland also loves to run, as mentioned. 19 percent of their points come in transition. Here, in another example from the game against the Kings, Harden pushes the ball in transition on the left side, and Allen sets a drag screen for him. Sacramento responds with a trap on Harden, who shows he can also make quick decisions and quickly plays the ball to Allen on the short roll. Allen immediately finds Jaylon Tyson cutting diagonally and finishing with a layup. A classic Cleveland play - transition, ball screen, off-ball movement.

Will Harden become part of this style? Or will Cleveland adapt itself to Harden? The answer may determine whether the Cavaliers will be contenders this season.