3 Cavs that could lose a roster spot to Summer League standouts

3 Cavs that could lose a roster spot to Summer League standouts: Cedi Osman

SL standout: Ochai Agbaji

Ochai Agbaji was drafted to be a steady role player. It’s possible that he blossoms into something more, but what the Cavs were looking for was a knockdown shooter who could guard on the perimeter and occasionally put the ball on the floor to attack closeouts or push in transition. In essence, they were looking for a better version of Cedi Osman.

Osman has been with the Cavs for five seasons, and they have been very up-and-down. His shooting has fluctuated wildly from year to year, and his minutes have steadily declined since their peak in 2018-19 when he started 75 games. He averaged just 22.2 minutes per game and appeared in only 66 despite being mostly healthy; there were times he just didn’t crack the rotation.

At 6’7″ Osman has good size and should be a solid option at the 3, but he just can’t hold up defensively and his shot is much more a theory than a weapon. He his only 30.6 percent two seasons ago and 35.7 percent last year, which was fine but certainly not what you look for from your “gunner” on the wing.

Enter Agbaji, who is in the Top-15 in Summer League in 3-point attempts at 7.5 per game, and has drained 40 percent of them. Despite the lax environment of Summer League he is running off of screens and sprinting to relocate. His shot looks clean and reproducible, his off-ball movements are already polished, and Agbaji looks ready for a rotation role from Day 1.

That probably means Osman is outside of the rotation, and there is a very real chance the Cavs move him and the two remaining seasons on his contract (although 2023-24 is non-guaranteed) in the offseason or at the NBA Trade Deadline.