Cavs: One stud and one dud from their win over the Knicks

Cavs dud: Cedi Osman

It’s hard to point out the negatives in a win like yesterday’s but there are still some things that players and the team can work on.

In a game where it seemed like everyone was hitting their shots, Cedi Osman couldn’t hit anything, literally. In 31 minutes of play, Osman had just two points, missing all five of his three-pointers that he attempted. He also had two assists to three turnovers and it overall was just not Cedi’s night.

This isn’t an attempt to put Osman down of course as while there were sequences here and there where he was a bit off with his positioning, he still had solid defensive possessions and looked to let the game come to him rather than force the issue. It’s that part of his recent play that I feel should be most noteworthy.

In an article that I wrote discussing last season’s Cavs shooting woes, I made the argument that improved playmaking would help the team’s shooting and it has. Osman has had a lot fewer on-ball opportunities and has been used more as a spot-up shooter, which is a great thing.

Prior to this game, he was shooting 50 percent from three on 5.3 attempts per game and I fully expect him to bounce back next game. If Osman can keep up this high-level shooting, he may end up being a valuable complementary piece for the young core.