PLAY THROUGH PAIN? HOW JAMES HARDEN’S NON-SHOOTING HAND FRACTURE CHANGES HIS 49% THREE-POINT STROKE
Is the gamble safe? Analyse Harden's 6-1 record since the Garland trade and his plan to play through pain in Milwaukee.
James Harden didn’t bother waiting on a doctor’s report to let everyone know how he feels about the Cavaliers. Not even a fractured thumb could cool his confidence after Cleveland’s 109–104 win over the Knicks on Tuesday. Harden said it loud and clear: he thinks the Cavs are built for a deep run.
“We’ve got, what, 25 games left? "I think we can get there,” Harden said, then corrected himself. “Actually, I know we can get there. It all starts on defence. Offensively, we’ve got six guys who can score in double figures, but defence is the key. If we really lock in and get stops, we’re going to be tough.”
The Cavs got a break the next day. Harden’s injury didn’t need surgery, so their hopes for a championship push are alive and well. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Harden saw a hand specialist and plans to play through the fracture. No surgery. He’s suiting up.
It helps that it’s his non-shooting hand, so he avoids the kind of layoff that would have knocked him out for weeks.
Even so, things aren’t totally settled. Harden is listed as day-to-day, and he might sit out the next game against the Bucks while the team manages his pain and swelling. “There’s going to be a lot of pain management over the next few days,” Charania said. “He might sit tonight in Milwaukee. He wants to play, and he’ll wear a wrap or splint.”
At 36, Harden’s reputation for playing through pain is well-earned. He’s not the type to sit unless he absolutely has to, but the Cavs won’t push him if he’s hurting.
Since trading for Harden in that big midseason move with the Clippers, Cleveland has gone 6–1 when he plays. They gave up a lot to get him, sending 26-year-old former All-Star Darius Garland to L, which made it clear they’re chasing a title right now.
Harden’s numbers back it up: 18.9 points, 8 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and he’s scorching from deep at nearly 49%. He’s taken over late in games and brought some needed swagger to the Cavs.
Even the night he hurt his thumb, Harden dropped 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting, added four assists, and kept the offence steady for 32 minutes.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson says Harden’s impact goes beyond stats. “Bringing James on has given us renewed confidence,” Atkinson said. “We’re a better team now, and that confidence makes us play harder, especially on defence."
Atkinson admitted the team was missing that edge earlier in the year. “I felt like we were kind of missing that belief. Now I feel like we’re getting it back.”
So here they are at 37–22, tied with the Knicks for third in the East, and according to Tankathon, they’ve got one of the league’s easiest remaining schedules.
Whether Harden plays right away or takes a short break, his message is the same: he believes in this team’s shot at a title, and he’s not stepping aside now.
Cleveland avoided a disaster with Harden’s injury, and that means their big midseason gamble is still on. Their new star is all in, and so are the Cavs.
NFL EXECUTIVE NAMES COLE PAYTON HIS "NO. 2 QUARTERBACK" IN THE 2026 CLASS
From 94.6 PFF grades to 4.56 speed, Cole Payton is the Eagles' latest QB project. Analysing his path to the NFL depth chart.
Cole Payton, who played quarterback at North Dakota State, might end up making a bigger splash as a fifth-round pick than people expect.
He’s not just another late-round flyer, either. An NFL executive recently told insider J.L. Canfora that Payton has real upside. The Eagles have done something similar before, so this isn't coming out of nowhere.
Remember Carson Wentz? Philly grabbed him with the second overall pick back in 2016, but Jalen Hurts ended up taking over. Now, some people around the league think history might repeat itself with Payton possibly replacing Hurts down the road.
The executive went all in on Payton: “You know, I believe in that kid. That was my No. 2 quarterback in the draft. And Howie [Roseman] takes him? Come on. He sees it too. Cole Payton, if you bring him along the right way, can start in this league.”
Roseman, the guy in Philly’s front office, was a big part of the Wentz pick. He’s seen his fair share of quarterback changes over the years, and honestly, that might matter this time, too.
The executive didn’t hold back: “All the stuff you hear about Hurts, all the drama and where he is in his contract." You can call me crazy, but I think this kid could take over from him in a few years. They did this with [Kevin] Kolb, even when [Donovan] McNabb was still there. I know how Howie thinks. This kid has a chance.”
Payton had to wait for his turn at NDSU.
Payton rolled into North Dakota State in 2021, known as a strong recruit for an FCS quarterback, straight out of Omaha.
He was supposed to be the next big thing, just like the string of successful Bison quarterbacks before him. But things didn’t break that way at first. Cam Miller, the QB ahead of him, kept stacking up wins and making a name for himself in Fargo.
Miller even beat out Quincy Patterson II, a gifted dual-threat quarterback who transferred in from Virginia Tech. After Patterson got banged up in 2021, Miller took over, steered the team to a national championship, and then hung on to the starting job through 2024.
Patterson left for Temple, so Payton slid into the Bison’s running packages in a spot that Patterson had filled before. And Payton did more than just fill that role. In 2022, he ran for 284 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries. By the next year, he really took off: 615 yards and 13 touchdowns on 84 carries.
Setback, then a breakout
Payton started 2024 looking like the same kind of threat on the ground, but a shoulder injury cut his season short. He only managed 164 rushing yards and a score on 21 carries before he went down.
Finally, in 2025, his shot as the full-time starter arrived after Miller left for the NFL draft, drafted by the Raiders in the sixth round. Payton made the most of it. He led NDSU to an unbeaten 12-0 regular season, completing 70% of his passes for 2,719 yards, with 16 touchdowns and just four picks. And he still ran wild, with 777 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 136 carries.
Now, he’s got a fresh chance in Philadelphia. If you ask people around the league, he’s not just there to hold a clipboard. They're watching to see what happens next.
DAVE ROBERTS COMPARES LEFTY JUSTIN WROBLESKI TO CLAYTON KERSHAW AFTER METS GEM
Discover how Justin Wrobleski transitioned from the bullpen to becoming the Dodgers' statistical leader in a historic 2026 run.
Dave Roberts gets it; he isn’t surprised Logan Webb might’ve hit Daulton Rushing with a pitch.
But there's something else on his mind: Justin Wrobleski. The Dodgers have a fresh-faced lefty in the rotation, and Wrobleski isn’t just holding his own; he’s shining. Roberts can’t help but see shades of Clayton Kershaw in him, and he’s letting people know it.
Wrobleski’s just 25, fresh out of Oklahoma State, but don’t let the age fool you. He’s pitched 36 innings as a starter with a 1.25 ERA, the best mark in the National League. People are starting to talk. Roberts definitely is. The Kershaw comparisons are already swirling, and they don’t sound that far-fetched if you watch Wrobleski work.
On Monday, he diced up the Mets by going right after hitters, pitch after pitch. Roberts has been around long enough to recognise the approach. “He’s got a great mentor in Clayton,” Roberts said, “and sometimes, it really feels like he channels Kershaw’s mentality. Attack guys, force them to put the ball in play.”
Just look at what he did to the Cardinals on Sunday. Six scoreless innings, only one walk, six hits – nothing fancy, just solid pitching. That’s two starts in a row; he’s thrown up six scoreless frames. Last year, Wrobleski mostly worked out of the bullpen. But with Blake Snell hurt and Emmet Sheehan shaky, Roberts gave him a shot, and Wrobleski ran with it. In 2025, he struck out 76 over 66 innings but had a 4.32 ERA. He got swings and misses back then, but in 2026, the punchouts dropped. Just 15 in 36 innings. Still, his control and poise jumped another level.
Roberts sees it up close. Sometimes he even jokes about the similarities. “He wears Skechers like Clayton does,” Roberts grinned. “He does his side work in his full jersey, just like Kershaw.”
Reporters asked Wrobleski about admiring a legend like Kershaw now that he’s part of the Dodgers mix. His answer’s honest: “Just watching him every day was something special for me,” Wrobleski said. “Not everyone gets to be around guys who are legends of the game.”
So yeah, it’s early. Comparisons can sound wild. But as long as Wrobleski keeps pitching this way, the talk isn’t stopping anytime soon.
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