Once again, James Harden gets a fresh start.

The 36-year-old former NBA MVP was unexpectedly traded during last week’s trade deadline to the Cleveland Cavaliers from the Los Angeles Clippers. The Cavaliers needed a shake-up after last season’s underwhelming playoff run and a slower start than expected this year, while the Clippers opted to look ahead despite their strong play in recent weeks.

Despite his sterling resume, Harden has never been known to be the type of player who steps up in the postseason, but he has a chance to prove otherwise with Cleveland. At the very least, he can defer to his new backcourt partner, Donovan Mitchell, who has had more than his fair share of stellar playoff moments.

Even so, what Harden brings to the Cavaliers remains deeply valuable. He is still capable of functioning as an offensive system unto himself for stretches of games, something that will help revive a Cleveland offense that has slipped to sixth in offensive rating after leading the league last season.

The 11-time NBA All-Star and two-time assist champion is still a better playmaker than the player he was traded for, another All-Star guard in Darius Garland, which could help slumping big man Evan Mobley get back on track.

Harden offered an immediate glimpse of his value to the Cavaliers in a debut that could hardly have gone better. He finished with 23 points, five three-pointers, two rebounds, eight assists, and a steal as the Cavaliers rallied for a 132–126 win over the Sacramento Kings. In the fourth quarter, Harden and Mitchell took over, combining for 32 points—17 from Mitchell and 15 from Harden—to seal the comeback victory.

With the East race wide open this season, Cleveland’s gamble to bring in the much older Harden for Garland just might pay off. This team has the firepower with Harden and Mitchell onboard to go toe-to-toe with any team in the league while their twin towers duo of Mobley and Jarrett Allen is a difficult match-up for any team on the inside. 

The additions of defensive specialist Keon Ellis and back-up guard Dennis Schroder from the Kings are expected to boost this team too as their lack of perimeter depth has been a major reason for their drop off this season.

At this delicate point in Harden’s career, this could be his last meaningful opportunity to rewrite the narratives around him. He may no longer play at the MVP level that he once did, yet nights like his Cavaliers debut show that he can still impact basketball games at a high level. If he can sustain the right balance between deferring to Mitchell and taking over games, Cleveland’s bet on him could pay off handsomely—and Harden may prove that it is never too late to rewrite the narrative around one’s career.