Cleveland Cavaliers media day: Cedi Osman appears ready to roll

At Cleveland Cavaliers media day, Cedi Osman appeared ready to take on more responsibility as a key piece in 2018-19.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are going to give youngster Cedi Osman all the chances in the world to prove he can be a key piece this season. Last year, Osman was asked to bring energy and toughness to an older, more offensive-oriented team built around LeBron James and spot-up shooting. He wasn’t asked to do too much, but he did show flashes of his potential during the year.

While playing 11.0 minutes per game, he averaged 3.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 2017-18. This season, though, his production should increase drastically with a bigger role in the Cavs’ offense; he has huge potential as a modern NBA wing. Head coach Tyronn Lue relayed that at media day today, per KJG’s Quenton Albertie.

Whenever Osman steps out on the court, he brings infectious energy to a ball club, and his teammates feed off that. In addition to his boyish approach to the everyday NBA grind, he has a growing skill set as much more than a spot-up shooter and defender.

This season, he’ll be able to dance more often in pick-and-roll situations, and he should be one of the key playmakers on the team along with rookie Collin Sexton, Rodney Hood, Kevin Love and George Hill. He touched on how in the offseason, he was able to get work in with LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard, and that that’s something he’ll never forget, per Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz.

Along with that expanded role in the halfcourt, Osman fits right into Lue’s newer approach of pushing the pace with more young athletes playing big minutes, as was noted by Spencer Davies of Basketball Insiders.

Osman is a player who should have more opportunities to force turnovers, and he’ll get easier chances as a result. With that being the case and with Cleveland committing more to young guys carrying more of an offensive load, Osman noted how he and Sexton could be a good duo, per the Cavs Official Twitter.

https://twitter.com/cavs/status/1044307627973402624

With Osman stepping into more of the limelight going forward, it’s good for Lue and the rest of the organization. He’s still going to be the ultimate glue guy, regardless, but his great attitude even in something as mundane as media day interviews is a good sign that he’s committed to himself being the best he can possibly be. It always help when guys don’t take themselves too seriously, either. This epitomizes Osman.

The Cavaliers view him as a huge asset for the near future, and with how much he’s progressed in all areas of the game from working with players such as LeBron and KD, he’s showing that he’s going to put the work in.

As the season progresses, expect Osman to develop into being a secondary leader alongside Love, Channing Frye and others.