Dennis Schroder Takes Shots At Ex-Team Kings’ Defense

On Saturday, the Cleveland Cavaliers face the Kings in Sacramento, marking a quick homecoming for Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis. Both played their first game for the Cavs last night after coming over in a three-way deal that also saw former Cav De’Andre Hunter go to the Kings.

The Cavs are the 11th different team that Schroder has suited up for, and as someone who’s changed teams so often, he wasn’t shy last night in putting up 14 shots in 19 minutes off the bench. He only made five of those field goal attempts, but despite the inefficient shooting night, he contributed in other ways, namely by dishing out six assists and recording three steals.

Schroder also wasn’t shy after the game in taking shots at his old team, which sets up a potentially awkward date on Saturday.

“Holding them under 50 points in a half, we didn’t have that in Sac for a long time,” he said. “A really competitive group here that wants to play defense, share the ball and play fast. I love it. I feel comfortable already.”

It’s maybe not the best look to be trashing your old team so soon after leaving, but honestly, where’s the lie? The Kings are once again one of the doormats of the league, because they’ve been terrible on both ends of the floor. Offensively, only the injury-riddled Pacers are worse, while on the defensive end, the Kings only rank better than the Wizards and Jazz.

Even that is sure to change the rest of the way, as both of those teams made the oddly aggressive moves of trading for Anthony Davis and Jaren Jackson Jr., respectively. That alone should easily catapult them over Sacramento.

The Cavs, meanwhile, rank 12th in the league in defensive rating and eighth in offensive rating, though they’ve been climbing in both categories as they’ve now won nine of their past 11.

In four of those games, the Cavs held their opponents under 100 points, something that’s increasingly becoming a rarity these days. The Kings, by contrast, have accomplished that only twice this year, and they lost one of those games anyway.

Schroder hasn’t tasted much playoff success in awhile, but being freed from Sacramento has to make him feel like he’s on the ’90s Bulls. The Cavs were one of the favorites in the East to start the year but have spent most of the season falling under expectations. Their good play lately though has them back in the mix to make a deep run.

Schroder has made two conference finals in his career, once with the Lakers in 2023 and once with the Hawks back in 2015. Both of those seasons ended by being swept one step before the NBA Finals. Who knows how things will pan out with the Cavs, but no matter what, it’s better than being stuck on a Kings team going nowhere fast.