Cleveland Cavaliers: What to expect from Turkish star Cedi Osman

The Cleveland Cavaliers flipped almost half their team this offseason, and one of their new additions was Turkish star, Cedi Osman.

Cedi Osman will be entering his first season as a part of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Over the last couple seasons, Osman played in Turkey for Anadolu Efes Spor Kulübü.

After being drafted with the 31st overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Cedi stayed overseas to develop his game while the Cavaliers continued their NBA dominance. That does not mean that Cedi has been forgotten. His debut will be a highly anticipated one for the Cavaliers this season.

According to ESPN’s depth chart for the Cavaliers, Cedi Osman is the fourth-ranked small forward. More than likely, Cedi Osman will get the second most minutes of the bunch. He’s battling with Richard Jefferson and Kyle Korver for minutes behind James. Jefferson and Korver are aging veterans. Korver (36) and Jefferson (37) do not have many seasons left, so preserving their bodies for the postseason will be of utmost importance. Therefore, Cedi will get the time and opportunity to shine throughout the season.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers’ SB Nation blog, Fear the Sword, took some video of Osman and displayed his potential. They said this regarding Osman and his potential this season.

"He’s been most comfortable on that ultra-important spot-up corner three, and his form is good enough that it should hold up with the move to the NBA three-point line. But it’s not just the shooting that should entice the Cavs. Osman’s also a capable slasher, and is great at taking advantage of an over-active closeout defender. He’s very comfortable driving with either hand, and his length helps him finish well at the rim."

Here’s a short clip from the FIBA Eurobasket, where Osman showed his full array of skills.

In his first of four seasons with the Turkish team, Osman shot over 50% from deep, but he played in just 13 games. Osman, when he played in over double that amount of games, maintained a steady three-point percentage and ended his four-year Turkish career shooting 35.6% from deep. His shot will be one key aspect of Cedi’s game that the Cavaliers will exploit this upcoming season. In the video above, you can see some of Osman’s shooting. His stroke is pure and should only improve in his time in the league. He will also be playing and training alongside three-point shooting legend Kyle Korver, so that should also aid Cedi’s development.

Osman also averaged 2.0 steals per game throughout the Eurobasket. If Cedi can become a viable defensive option, he will get more than his share of minutes. The Cavaliers ranked 22nd in defensive rating last season, and they brought in defensive mastermind Jae Crowder in the Kyrie Irving trade to assist in that. Along those lines, the Cavaliers ranked dead last in steals per game last season at 6.6. Osman should be able to help the Cavaliers improve their defense and get some easy transition buckets.

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Osman will be a key defender, and he should be able to be an acceptable three-point shooter. The minutes will come, but don’t be shocked if Osman takes a couple months to get accustomed to the different style of the NBA. Expect a slow start, but Osman will eventually get solid, rotational minutes for the Cavs.