Former ESPN Star Max Kellerman Compares James Harden To President Trump

Former "First Take" star Max Kellerman managed to compare Cleveland Cavaliers star James Harden to President Donald Trump this Wednesday.

It's not an understatement to say Harden kicked off the Eastern Conference Finals with a nightmare performance in Game 1. For starters, the All-Star guard finished with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. He also had six turnovers, which marked his 48th career playoff game with as many or more turnovers than made field goals.

As for Harden's performance on the defensive side of the floor, let's just say he was a net negative for the Cavaliers. In fact, New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson shot 7-of-11 when Harden was his primary defender.

A big reason why the Knicks were able to erase a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter is because of Harden's lackluster defense.

"It was no secret: We were attacking Harden," Knicks coach mike Brown said. "Just like we have to figure out different ways to guard Harden and [Donovan] Mitchell, they have to find ways to guard Jalen."

While discussing the Knicks' comeback win on his "Game Over" podcast, Kellerman compared Harden's playoff woes to Trump's leadership skills.

"Bringing in James Harden to win a championship is like electing Donald Trump to fix your country," Kellerman said.

This comment from Kellerman is bound to cause quite the debate online.

Will the Cavs bench Harden?

Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson was asked if he thought about benching Harden during the Knicks' run in the fourth quarter. He made it clear that he's sticking by his veteran guard.

"No, he's been one of our best defenders in these playoffs," Atkinson said. "I trust him – smart, great hands. Didn't think about that."

The Cavaliers and Knicks will resume their series this Thursday. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 11:14 AM.