Cavs need to get healthier, but Cedi Osman can build on this recent stretch

The Cleveland Cavaliers have not had much sustained success for stretches as a team since the All-Star break, as they’ve lost four of five games, and six of seven contests since prior to the All-Star break.

They started off on fire and did play well on the offensive end, at one point having a 21-point lead early on at the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night, and Darius Garland had 26 points and a career-high 19 assists. The Sixers’ firepower ended up just being too much, and they would go on to win 125-119, and their big guns and Tyrese Maxey’s 33 points did Cleveland in in crunch time.

More generally, injuries to the team have not helped its cause, as Darius Garland missed Cleveland’s first three games post-All-Star (lower back soreness), and Caris LeVert (foot sprain) has missed all five. Rajon Rondo (big toe sprain) has missed the last four. It does seem that LeVert and Rondo could be back pretty soon, on a positive note, which would give the team a lift, I’d imagine.

The Cavaliers do need to have more urgency on the defensive end, as while live-ball turnovers have put that end of the floor in compromising spots, Cleveland’s conceded way too many open looks recently. Overall, the team has not played close to the level they have much of the season defensively.

There have been some positives in recent contests, though, as Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro have typically been making a notable impact defensively (not in that Philly game) and Jarrett Allen’s been a force on the interior. And regarding bench contributors, Cedi Osman has played very well in the past 10-11 or so games, in particular, and it’s something he can build on.

The Cavs need to get more hands on deck, but Osman can build on this last stretch moving forward.

Osman is historically a player that’s going to have ups and downs, as Cavaliers fans know, but for much of this season, he’s rebounded from a tough last season, and more clarity with his role has undoubtedly helped. There still are going to be some off stretches of games, with Osman being a bench shooter primarily, for context.

That said, while it’s evident that Cleveland needs to get LeVert back in the fold hopefully soon, and Lauri Markkanen needs to re-establish himself game-to-game, Osman has been playing well in his bench minutes.

I acknowledge that there are inherently going to be instances where Osman may overextend and try to do too much, and with the Cavs being thin on shot creators and/or key playmakers currently, there’s going to be some rough sequences. Osman is, ideally, more of a guy you’re going to get looks for via spot-ups/off-ball situations, and is more of a tertiary ball-mover, and him being a de facto lead playmaker for stretches is not ideal, to get that out there.

And realistically, with Cleveland being thin on available guards at the moment, there are going to be some off shooting nights for Cedi, along with that.

However, objectively, Osman has been playing well for the Cavaliers, by and large, and this recent stretch could be something he can build on moving forward, which could really pay off when the Cavs do get healthier, which could be soon.

Osman has hit 38.2 percent of his three-point attempts in his last 13 games, and in 25.2 minutes per contest, has had 12.7 points per appearance in that span. He’s added in 3.2 assists per contest in that stretch, also.

Again, the Cavaliers need to have more consistent play from their starters on the offensive end to be less reliant on their defense for extended stretches, and it’s paramount to get LeVert and to some degree, Rondo back. But it’s good to see how Osman has come through often.

If the Cavs can rebound in weeks to come here, and I believe they very well can, based on how they’ve been so resilient this season, they’ll still need Cedi to be one of the team’s sparks off the bench. In that realm, hopefully Kevin Love can get back on track shooting-wise, where he’s been a knockdown guy for the majority of the season, and quality mid-post presence.

Moreover, hopefully Cleveland gets healthier on the perimeter soon enough, and Osman, as we hit on, can keep building on his strong play of late. He’ll still get his share of opportunities off the bench.