Cleveland Cavaliers: Lessons learned in loss to the Philadelphia 76ers

Cedi Osman shows signs of life on offense.

Cedi Osman hasn’t had the season he was hoping for. His offense has really struggled since he returned from his back injury earlier this year. He’s shown signs of life on the offensive end recently, but Sunday’s game was the first time he’s put it all together in a while.

Osman’s halfcourt offense has always been looked at as a weakness of his game. He hadn’t shown much ability to beat people off the dribble and generally lacks the explosiveness needed to be a good halfcourt offensive player. Recently he’s shown that his ball-handling and ability to beat defenders in the halfcourt can improve, but he hasn’t been able to finish at the rim recently.

That changed Sunday as Osman was finally able to finish at the rim with some consistency. Osman did a great job of going to the rim aggressively and drawing fouls as he led the team with seven free throw attempts.

Osman has struggled with his outside shot this season and hasn’t been able to score consistently in the halfcourt. Sunday was a glimpse at the kind of player the Cavs hope he can be when he’s playing smart and aggressive, though. This wasn’t a career night, but it was certainly a step in the right direction. We’ll see if Osman can build off of this solid outing.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will be back in action Tuesday as they travel to Indianapolis to take on the Indiana Pacers.