In the 2020-21 campaign, it was a tough go for Cleveland Cavaliers wing Cedi Osman. He was able to start off well for the Cavaliers in a move to a bench role, but after an opening heater, Osman struggled mightily to find a rhythm.
Last season, Osman on the year had 10.4 points per contest, which was alright on the surface it appeared. Unfortunately, he hit just 30.5 percent of his three-point attempts, which was by far a career-low for him, and in his fourth season, that was disappointing.
It wasn’t all on Osman, though, as he was adjusting to a new role, with Isaac Okoro then often as Cleveland’s starting 3, and Osman’s minutes as the season wore on became more inconsistent. That was part of the reasoning for him being off for much of the season, and throughout the season, there was variance with his role, too.
At times, Osman was relied on as even a de facto primary playmaker, and in other instances, he was seemingly more of an on-ball player than he should’ve been. There were again some inconsistencies, as a result, and as the season wore on, he at times had DNPs, so realistically, it wasn’t all on him.
This season, Osman’s year didn’t end out very well, and there were again several DNPs, which was odd, in my opinion. In plenty of occasions this season, Osman did give the Cavaliers a lift in a more set role as mostly a bench catch-and-shoot player, and energy wing.
Nonetheless, it didn’t end out well for Osman, who was out of the rotation at times, and his shooting did tail off, which was tough to see, given how he did give Cleveland a lift numerous times throughout the season.
So how did he grade out on the season, then?
We’ll take a closer look at that here from Osman, in our latest edition of Cavs Player Grades.
Let’s start with the offensive end for Osman, who recently turned 27.
Osman’s offensive play in 2021-22
As we alluded to before, Osman did start off this season well, and it was nice to see him look more comfortable with role clarity.
On the season, he again had 10.7 points per game, in an average of 22.2 minutes, and connected on 35.7 percent of his three-point attempts.
He started the season off well shooting-wise from deep, and hit 35.6 percent from three pre-All-Star break. In November and December, he connected on 43.2 then 33.3 percent percent from three, but on plenty of occasions, was able to give Cleveland a spark.
Although, after the All-Star break, while he did still have some nice outings, Osman had less opportunities to make things happen. There were a number of DNPs, and when Osman’s shots were off, his minutes decreased as the coaching staff reportedly thought that was carrying over to other aspects of his play negatively.
I personally thought that was a bit overblown. Either way, Osman didn’t have the same impact, whether or not that was fair, from my perspective, given what he provided on plenty of times before then.
Post-All-Star, Osman shot still 35.7 percent from three, but his play in games was admittedly more on and off.
In fairness to him, I did still think when his role was clarified, and there was ample playmaking around him, Osman did fine for Cleveland, and at times near late-season, got a bit of a raw deal.
He still was able to make plays at times as a cutter as well, in transition and I still don’t discount his help as a ball-mover, either. Osman had 2.0 assists per outing as well, which was alright, in his role.
Relating to Osman’s offensive grade, he’s going to be streaky, but even with some ups and downs and head-scratching moments or games at times, he did fine. I’ll go with a B.
Osman’s 2021-22 offensive grade: B
Osman’s 2021-22 defensive play
Osman’s defense is going to have limitations. We’ve seen that in his time with the Cavaliers for a number of seasons, as he has problems containing opposing wings and guards on drives.
Those limitations are part of the reasoning as to why he’s not been a starter much in his past two seasons.
During this recently-concluded season for Cleveland (as a result of their second play-in loss to the Atlanta Hawks), Osman again had some issues on-ball in his minutes.
Lateral quickness and getting through off-ball screens are issues for him, and as a bench contributor, he didn’t a great defensive rating, considering his minute inconsistencies. That was 109.2 for him, which wasn’t awful.
As we touched on, though, Osman’s limitations on defense were feasibly part of why he wasn’t a regular, per se, in quasi-crunch time for notable stretches.
I do have to give him his due for some timely plays with him registering deflections and steals, helping the team get out and run, on the plus side. His team defense did seem to be more on-point when he was regularly involved in the rotation this season, too. I don’t gloss over him having 1.3 steals per-36 minutes.
Unfortunately with Osman, there were still too many lapses defensively, and that was tough to see, and played into why his minutes were somewhat sporadic as the season wore on, combined with streaky shooting.
As for his defensive grade for this season, objectively, I have to go with it being about as I would’ve thought heading in, at a C+.
Osman’s 2021-22 defensive grade: C+
Osman’s overall play in 2021-22
Osman is a player that’s generally going to have his ups and downs, based on what we’ve seen throughout his time with Cleveland. This season was no different, in that regard.
All things considered, I thought he was decent for the Cavs this season, and I thought his lack of minutes in a number of games was strange. Dylan Windler even essentially being favored over Osman at times in late-season games was puzzling, too.
So how’d Osman grade out this season, then?
I’ll be the first to admit, Osman has historically been a streaky player over the course of his time with Cleveland. There is surely no disputing that.
But honestly, with what he was able to provide on plenty of occasions this season for the Cavaliers, I thought his bench shooting and energy was meaningful for the team.
The dude has some real cold spells, though, and defensively, it was an adventure, to some degree. Overall, I have to go with a B-; I was almost at a B. I just couldn’t quite go there.
Osman’s overall 2021-22 grade: B-
With some inconsistencies, and others involved, I wouldn’t necessarily be shocked if Osman was potentially part of a trade package before next offseason.
I still value what he brings with his energy and ability to get hot, though, and he’s always been an exemplary teammate.