The bright lights are approaching again, and the Cleveland Cavaliers will be centerstage to prove that they finally learned from last year's Playoffs embarrassment.
Since trading for Donovan Mitchell in 2022, Cleveland has desperately failed to showcase potential as a true NBA Finals contender. The Cavs have posted historic numbers in the regular season, but the intense postseason battles have claimed victory over the Cavaliers time and time again. Every season, Clevelaned has pinned the failures on mental toughness, and while excuses are weak, fans can see that weakness is real.
Against the Indiana Pacers last year, the Cavs could hardly get the ball past halfcourt. Cleveland's guards fell for every trap Indy's defense set, picking up the early dribble, eyes darting and seeking help. Players held the ball overhead, stalling out as the eight-second limit to reach the halfcourt line ticked down. Possessions unraveled in real time with hopes of a Finals appearance vanishing along with it.
The expected-winner Cavaliers watched as a unified Pacers squad took down the Eastern Conference round-by-round with surgical accuracy.
The Cavaliers' postseason mistakes were the catalyst for the team to move on from guard Ty Jerome in the offseason, instead trading Isaac Okoro for Lonzo Ball and letting Jerome walk. The Okoro trade became a major regret, resulting in a salary-dump deal to move on from Ball at the trade deadline.
Another deadline acquisition, Dennis Schroder, replaced Lonzo as the Cavs' go-to backup point guard. While Schroder is not an All-Star talent, he is a veteran presence and a proven winner. Schroder won the 2023 FIBA Word Cup and the 2025 Euroleague championship, winning tournament MVP.
Schroder knows what it takes to win, maintaining his nerves, delivering when it matters most and eventually hoisiting gold overhead. Cleveland needs that leadership in the locker room and off the bench. He is a pesky defender, a smart passer and on-court captain. Schroder has too much experience and talent to fall for full-court trap defenses or lose his poise in a seven-game series.
On paper, Schroder is the perfect backup point guard for the Cavaliers' postseason run. Unfortunately, Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson can only play so many people in the Playoffs, saing himself the rotation will likely cap at nine.
The Cavaliers need to make room for Schroder in the Playoffs
Atkinson is facing his toughest test as the Cavaliers coach. Cleveland's depth has been the winning factor in plenty of close contests. Thomas Bryant, Jaylon Tyson, Dean Wade, Keon Ellis and Schroder have all changed the outcome of a game on their own. With Max Strus' recent return, Atkinson has roughly a dozen Playoff-viable players to shrink into a balanced nine-man rotation.
Atkinson has been no stranger to experimenting with lineups and rotations - for better and for worse. His willingness to test the waters gave rise to fan favorite Nae'Qwan Tomlin. The young forward's impeccable athleticism and fearlessness rapidly elevated him from a fringe G League talent to a full, standard contract in a year's time. Without Atkinson's trust in the bench, Tomlin would still be an unknown prospect left in the underbelly of the league.
Finding the players to negate from a Playoffs lineup is nearly impossible, and any iteration leaves out something necessary. The Cavs will likely remove Bryant and Tomlin from the rotation. End-of-bench guys like Larry Nance, Jr. and Tyrese Proctor will hardly see minutes outside of garbage time.
Beyond those select few, however, the argument for Schroder is two-fold. Schroder has the most professional experience on the roster, and he makes tangible impact on both ends of the court. Adding him to the rotation means that one of Tyson, Ellis, Strus, Sam Merrill and Dean Wade is out, however. All five provide necessary 3-and-D value, but none of them have the playmaking that Schroder offers.
Leaving Schroder out of the rotation means the Cavs only have Donovan Mitchell and James Harden to lead the offense. Mitchell is a serviceable point guard, but he is most valuable with another playmaker at his side.
Atkinson cannot ignore Schroder, despite the veteran's ocassional scoring draughts. Last year's Pacers meltdown proves it. Finding who he replaces is where Atkinson's job becomes a nightmare.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have depth, but few of the role players are well-rounded enough to fill every role the Cavs need. Many of them are specialists or undersized at their position. Finding a role for Schroder is a must-have, and Atkinson has prove himself capable of answering that call.