The Cleveland Cavaliers have a James Harden problem, and it may be getting bigger by the game. Monday’s 124-112 loss to the short-handed Charlotte Hornets offered another reminder that something isn’t working. Harden finished with 11 points, five assists and four turnovers, shooting just 3-of-9 from the floor. Cleveland is now 5-6, and the early-season concerns are becoming harder to dismiss.

At 37, Harden isn’t expected to be the player he was during his MVP years. Nobody should be asking him to turn back the clock. But Cleveland didn’t give him a three-year, $97 million extension to simply take up space in the starting lineup. The Cavaliers need him to make their offence work, and right now, that’s becoming a difficult expectation to meet.

Cleveland’s Problem Goes Beyond Harden’s Scoring

The troubling part isn’t just the shooting. Harden’s defensive effort has also come under scrutiny, including a sequence against Charlotte in which he appeared to stand and watch as the Hornets grabbed an offensive rebound and moved the ball around for an open shot.

That’s the sort of play that gets noticed, particularly when a team is struggling. Harden has never been known as a defensive stopper, but Cleveland needs more than occasional offensive production from him. When the shots aren’t falling, the defensive shortcomings become that much more difficult to overlook.

His struggles also aren’t entirely new. His performance in last season’s Eastern Conference Finals against New York raised questions about whether he could still deliver when the competition gets tougher. Now those questions are following him into another season.

The Cavaliers May Have a Bigger Team-Building Question

Here’s where things get interesting for Cleveland fans. The Cavaliers have Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and a talented supporting cast. This isn’t a team without pieces. But how much of its success depends on Harden controlling the offence and making everyone else more effective?

That’s a difficult question for the coaching staff. Simply taking Harden out of the starting lineup doesn’t solve the financial commitment or replace what Cleveland expected him to provide. And asking Mitchell to shoulder even more responsibility might create another problem.

Cleveland has reached the playoffs four straight seasons and made last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. The expectations are understandably high. But the Eastern Conference isn’t standing still, and the Cavaliers can’t afford to spend another season trying to solve a problem that doesn’t seem to be going away.

Harden Deserves Time to Find His Game

Harden deserves some time to find his footing. A rough November doesn’t necessarily tell us how the entire season will unfold. Still, Cleveland needs to see some improvement soon.

The question isn’t whether Harden can still have a good night. It’s whether the Cavaliers can count on him when they need him most. That’s a much bigger concern.

Related: Doc Rivers and Giannis: Who Really Deserves the Criticism?