#3: Osman needs to separate himself from the rest of the pack within relevant Cavs
Cedi Osman doesn’t do anything well enough to be considered a specialist. He is now below the league average of 36.7 percent in terms of three-point percentage, per StatsMuse. Ditto for his defensive box plus-minus as he is currently sitting with an average of minus-0.8 in that department.
With better shooters on the roster such as Dean Wade (36.8 percent from deep) and better defenders like the “heady” Stevens (0.3 DBPM), Osman must expand his game whether it be as a more consistent secondary playmaker or as an opportunistic defender. That may be the only way he gets another chance to be a part of the rotation moving forward.
So, what’s next for Osman?
With the team at 17-31 and currently sitting at 13th in the “weak” Eastern Conference, Osman may not get many more chances to showcase his skill set. If the team continues to pile up losses, Bickerstaff will almost certainly want to see which players are worth keeping heading into next season.
Another aspect to his current predicament will depend heavily upon where the Cleveland Cavaliers finish in the standings this season as the team may elect to draft another wing if in a position to do so. And there are no shortage of star caliber wings in the upcoming 2021 NBA Draft.
Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham and Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Green, both of the G League Ignite squad, could all be available depending on Cleveland’s draft positioning.
Osman is under contract through the 2023-24 season with an average salary of nearly $7.8 million; albeit the last season is set to be non-guaranteed. So for better or worse, the Cavs will be stuck with Osman until a deal is perhaps struck or if he is bought out at some point down the road.
If the former is the case, Bickerstaff and co. may want to play him a considerable chunk again in an effort to increase his trade value heading into the offseason and beyond, though. We’ll of course have to see if a deal maybe in the offseason/before next season were to come about, anyhow.