Shipping Darius Garland to the LA Clippers for James Harden was the kind of move that tells the league, the locker room, and the fan base the same thing: We’re not waiting anymore. The Cavaliers didn’t add a role player. They added a headline. They added a lightning rod. They added a former MVP whose game can bend a defense even when his legs aren’t fully under him.

Saturday night’s 132–126 win over a Sacramento team limping through a brutal losing streak was the first look at what this new version of the Cavs might become. Harden admitted he was “a little rusty.” That was believable. But even rusty Harden can still tilt the floor, and Cleveland’s offense still found a new gear when it mattered.

This was not a perfect debut. It was something more useful than perfect: revealing.

Here are five takeaways that felt surprising, and in a few cases, a little instructive.

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