The Cleveland Cavaliers were, undeniably, the biggest winners of the NBA trade deadline. Adding Dennis Schroder, Keon Ellis, and James Harden to the mix while offloading De'Andre Hunter and Lonzo Ball was a masterpiece by Koby Altman.
That said, it hasn't all been good with one of those newcomers. It took him a while, but Schroder is finally showing his true colors and why he's been such a frustrating player to root for throughout the course of his career.
The German point guard has been unplayable in the past three games. The honeymoon phase is officially over, and given his history of streaky play, there's no telling when the arrow is going to trend back up.
Cavaliers are getting the full Dennis Schroder experience
Schroder has played 15 games for the Cavs, making two starts. He had been as good as advertised for the most part, providing an instant offensive spark off the bench, some grit, competitiveness, and an above-average playmaker to run the second unit.
Over the past three games, however, he's become a liability on both ends of the floor. He's combined to score a grand total of six games, with Basketball Reference assigning him Game Scores of -0.5, 3.6, and -3.7, respectively. He played 18 minutes, took five shots, and went scoreless in the road loss against the Orlando Magic, while recording two assists.
Schroder allows his cold shooting to get the best of him. He had four personal fouls in his last outing, most of which came out of frustration or with him just trying to do too much. That's something that just can't happen in the playoffs. That's the opposite of why they traded for him.
All that being said, getting Schroder was still a great move, and the overall balance has been positive. He's always been a bit of a hit-or-miss kind of guy, but it's better to watch him struggle in the regular season instead of when it matters the most.
Schroder has always gotten hot as quickly as he can go ice cold. He brings leadership and experience to the table, and that doesn't always pop up in the stat sheet.
The Cavs always knew what they were getting into with Schroder. This is just part of the deal with him. At least they can afford to bench him if he continues to struggle, with Harden and Donovan Mitchell taking care of business in the backcourt. They could maybe even turn to rookie Tyrese Proctor for longer stretches.