The Cleveland Cavaliers are now 10 games deep into their 2021-22 NBA season and they’ve managed to exceed expectations in a big way thus far by battling to the tune of a 6-4 record. In addition to their record, there have been a multitude of bright spots for a team that had so few last season. One of those bright spots comes in the form of a 6-foot-7, 230-pound Macedonian forward by the name of Cedi Osman.
Through nine appearances for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Osman looks like a completely different player than he was for much of last season.
Last year was an abysmal one for Osman as he was often hot and cold for stretches and was pulled in and out of the lineup with such consistency that it may have been hard for him to establish any semblance of a rhythm. It’s not as if Osman did himself any favors either as it wasn’t uncommon to see him completely botch the opportunities he was afforded in the 59 games he appeared in during the 2020-21 campaign.
Osman was used in many different areas during this time, including stints as the team’s starting shooting guard, small forward, power forward, and even played the role of pseudo point guard off the bench. While this can be the norm for some players in today’s ever-increasing positionless game, it seemed to only further throw him off his rhythm.
This year however, has been an entirely different story thus far though as something appears to have clicked for Osman and he’s flipped the proverbial switch.
Through nine appearances to begin the season the fifth-year forward has canned 24 of his 48 attempts from three-point range, good for a scorching 50.0 percent. For a player averaging just 18.3 minutes an outing, his 2.7 makes and 5.3 attempts would rank as his highest and second-highest rates respectively for his career if the season ended today.
Conversely, through nine appearances last year, Osman connected on just 21 of his 62 attempts which was good for 33.9 percent all the while playing significantly more minutes (27.9) a game. He would go on to finish that season completing an abysmal 30.6 percent of those attempts and his confidence all but vanished before our very eyes.
A clear and defined role…
Perhaps Cedi Osman’s biggest hurdle throughout the duration of his career has been the mere fact that he has constantly been asked to either play out of position (Osman is not a power forward) or has been asked to act as a primary ball handler far too often. This has understandably left him looking like a much worse player than he actually is.
I truly and deeply believe that if he isn’t asked to provide too much in the way of facilitating and asked to play up a position defensively, that he can be a highly impactful player. The role that he is in now seems to be a perfect fit for him as he can act as more of a catch-and-shoot threat rather than creating his own shots. His defensive chops aren’t as nonexistent as they are made out to be as he is now operating with the lowest defensive rating (109.9) since his rookie season.
If you were to describe Osman’s career with one word it would most likely be: inconsistent.
Many may argue that he started last year on a similar tear but dramatically tailed off as the campaign wore down and while it wouldn’t be entirely surprising to see him return to Earth from his otherworldly production from range thus far, it honestly feels sustainable. As of writing this, Osman’s 50.0 percent conversion rate is tied for ninth in the league among qualified players, per Basketball Reference.
So much of his lackluster play last year had to do with being overutilized in specific roles and if he continues to be featured in the way he has been, he should continue to have a positive impact for the Cavs moving forward.
Of course, time will tell whether or not this is a mirage or the real deal for Osman but I’m willing to put my faith into the latter at this time.