DETROIT, MICHIGAN – MAY 07: James Harden #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers walks off the court after being defeated by the Detroit Pistons 107-97 in Game Two of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena on May 07, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
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At the NBA trade deadline, the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ made one of the biggest splashes by trading for James Harden. This meant parting ways with Darius Garland, who’s only 26 years old and a great player as well.
While it’s no secret that Harden is a great player, due to the difference in age (Harden is 36), it certainly came with risk. That move has essentially forced the Cavaliers into a spot where they have to make a deep playoff run for this move to be considered a success.
While the Cavaliers haven’t accomplished their ultimate goal of winning the NBA Finals, things are looking good for them right now, even after their game one loss to the New York Knicks.
Harden was the main talking point of the Cavaliers trade deadline moves, but they were also able to land Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis. Here’s what all three players have done in the playoffs thus far.
1. James Harden
Harden has led the Cavaliers in MPG this playoffs, at 37.7, just edging out Donovan Mitchell who’s at 36.3.
Mitchell is still the clear number one scoring option with 25.9 PPG, but Harden has been a fantastic number two. This playoff run, Harden has 19.7 PPG.
Outside of just scoring, Harden leads the team by a wide margin in assists with 6.0, which shouldn’t come as a shock. Harden has been able to distribute the ball for his entire NBA career, averaging 8.0 AST during the 2025-26 regular season.
If the Cavaliers want to make the NBA finals, they’re going to need a big game two from Harden. It wasn’t as if Harden was awful in game one against the Knicks, but he only had 15 points, three assists, to go along with six turnovers.
Harden also wasn’t very efficient, going five for 16 from the field and one for eight from three.
Overall, Harden has looked very good during the Cavaliers playoff run, but he’s going to need to step it up if they want to take down the Knicks.
2. Dennis Schroder
Dennis Schroder isn’t quite on the level of production, but he’s been getting minutes this postseason. Schroder has played in all 15 games, averaging 16.2 MPG, which is 8th on the team.
In terms of scoring, Schroder hasn’t done much, but that’s never been the best part of his game. Still, Schroder has 5.8 PPG, which is 7th on the Cavaliers.
Where Schroder thrives is as a passer. Even with limited minutes, Schroder is 4th on the team in 2.4 AST.
These numbers don’t seem super significant, but having a reliable role player is necessary for a championship team.
Game one wasn’t great for the Cavaliers across the board, as Schroder struggled as well in 18 minutes. Over that span, Schroder had just three points on one for nine from the field, but he did have five assists.
3. Keon Ellis
In the Cavaliers trade to get Schroder, Keon Ellis was also involved. Ellis hasn’t played a ton this postseason, but the expectations for him weren’t super high.
Ellis has played in just 7.2 MPG, which is 10th on the roster right now. In terms of PPG, Ellis is 10th with just 1.4, and 11th in assists with just 0.2.
That said, Ellis is 7th on the team in terms of steals with 0.6. Ellis played just five minutes in game one, where he scored two points.
Again, the key player on this list is Harden, as his performance is going to determine how others see the Cleveland Cavaliers decision to move on from Garland.