Cavs: Denzel Valentine is another that can affect Cedi Osman’s role

Recently, it was reported on Friday that the Cleveland Cavaliers signed former Chicago Bulls guard/wing Denzel Valentine via two-year deal, of which you can view more on here.

In that deal though, it is team-friendly, and for this next upcoming season, it’s partially-guaranteed, with the second year being non-guaranteed.

Along with the Valentine signing, which could play into him providing depth at the 2/3 spots, it was anything but surprising that Cleveland reportedly waived Damyean Dotson on Friday.

Dotson couldn’t get into a rhythm as a shooter much last season, and even with him providing some help as a playmaker, he underwhelmed and was non-guaranteed for next season.

But circling back to Valentine, although it’s difficult to project what to expect from him/what the outlook could be outright game-to-game, I would think he’ll get some real minutes at the 2/some as a rotational 3. He had injury issues with Chicago, of which included missing all of 2018-19 (ankle surgery), and from that point on, his role was inconsistent with the Bulls.

He could potentially provide some of a boost as a rotational on-ball option, and could help to some degree as a secondary playmaker, on the plus side.

Nonetheless, with that in mind, it does appear as if he could possibly impact Cedi Osman‘s role/outlook, one would think. He had his share of issues last season, and has historically been up-and-down, anyway.

Cavs: Valentine is another player that can affect Osman’s role.

I’m not suggesting that Valentine, who couldn’t get back to his form from 2017-18, when he had his best season with 10.2 points per outing and shot 38.6 percent from three, could simply be a go-to target for Cleveland’s bench. The past two seasons, he’s shot 33.6 and 33.1 percent from three-point range, and regardless of circumstances, hasn’t been able to firmly establish himself as a crucial contributor for the Bulls.

That said, perhaps with Cleveland, he can get into a rhythm as the year progresses and maybe a change of scenery could be a spark for him in a new situation and with a new set of teammates. Valentine can create some for himself on-ball, and he could potentially help the Cavaliers from a secondary playmaking standpoint and/or via pick-and-roll.

While I’m skeptical of that, considering Valentine has had issues staying healthy, he could work well in some spurts/stretches with sign-and-trade acquisition Lauri Markkanen, who he played with on the Bulls. And perhaps Valentine could mesh well in instances where one of the Darius Garland-Collin Sexton duo is sidelined, or add some viable shooting from the outside.

Again, I can’t say that for certain, as the past two seasons, in particular, haven’t been especially notable for Valentine, who has had 6.8 and 6.5 points per contest in 13.6 and 16.7 minutes per contest. He was in and out of then-head coach Jim Boylen’s rotation for the Bulls in 2019-20, also.

But if Valentine does have opportunities fairly early on to show he can give Cleveland a lift, and can get back on track as a catch-and-shoot player, that could affect Osman’s role some. And to me, even with him being a big, Markkanen could very well impact Cedi, anyhow, from a catch-and-shoot standpoint and with that maybe marginalizing his role some.

Furthemore, while we’ll have to see if Valentine sticks, he could potentially cut into Osman’s minutes, Lamar Stevens could from a defensive versatility perspective, and if he can stay healthy, Dylan Windler could.

Now, Osman did hit 38.3 percent from three in 2019-20, and he has had his moments, and his playmaking help I don’t discount from last season. I’m definitely not saying that Valentine has been the model of consistency either; that’s just not been the case, and like Osman, he’s not a defensive factor.

But Osman, even with moving to a bench role, only hit 30.6 percent from three last season, and in the prior campaign, there would extended stretches where he disappeared, and didn’t seem that engaged.

Of course, when Osman is on, he can make a difference for Cleveland’s bench, and maybe he could rebound as a catch-and-shoot guy next season. I just am skeptical of that possibility though.

And with Osman previously having been mentioned in trade rumors, with a number of bench pieces that could affect his role, it wouldn’t be shocking if he was eventually moved as part of a package at some point during next season.

To reiterate, however, we’ll again have to see if Valentine, who turns 28 in November, can benefit from a change of scenery and/or firmly establish himself with the Cavs.

However, Osman’s role is growing to be increasingly uncertain. That has jumped out of late.