Cleveland Cavaliers: Controlled offensive aggression is key on perimeter
By Dan Gilinsky
The two other starting playmakers
Osman and Hood are going to have their peaks and valleys on both ends on the wing against some of the best athletes in the NBA, and given that both are (outside of a healthy Kevin Love) the two most well-rounded offensive players Cleveland has, they must always carry a considerable amount of the load. Osman, although he’s going to have his share of unnecessary turnovers, is still a very capable passer and shot-creator in pick-and-roll situations.
He had a great game against the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James on Wednesday, and followed that up with 20 points on 50.0 percent shooting against Philly last night (and was second in the game with a plus-14, per ESPN). If he plays under control and trusts his shooting and that his teammates will keep moving without the ball to open space, Osman can be a good starting wing.
Our own Jackson Flickinger displayed how after this last win, if Hood stays engaged offensively, he can really have big production for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Hood had 25 points in Cleveland’s last game, and when’s walking into shots against slower bigs and playing with confidence, instead of settling for halfhearted fadeaways in the deep mid-range after passing up three-point looks, it gets the whole team going as a result. Hood is a talented scorer; he just needs to not be passive.
Last but not least, the other two primary ball-handlers in Clarkson and Harrison have been doing some great things in spots as well.