Cavs wing Cedi Osman set to compete in the Acropolis Tournament

Cedi Osman is a really good basketball player. The longtime Cleveland Cavaliers wing has fluctuated in-and-out of the starting lineup, and this year may even find himself outside of the rotation for the Cavs, but zoom out and it is clear he is a really good basketball player.

Many role players in the NBA are stars for their national teams, and Osman is no exception. Being the 350th-best player in the NBA easily makes him one of the very best players in his home country of Turkey.

Osman has been a part of the Turkish National Team for a number of years. He first competed for Turkey in the 2011 FIBA Under-16 Championship, and from there has made numerous appearances. He won gold with Turkey in two tournaments, including winning MVP alongside the gold medal in the 2014 FIBA Under-20 Championship.

Once again the 27-year-old Osman will compete for Turkey, this week suiting up for the Acropolis Tournament in Greece. The Tournament, started in 1986, traditionally pits four local teams against each other. A variety of teams have competed in the competition and Turkey is one of the frequent participants.

Greece has won the tournament most often, hardly a surprise as they are the host, but they haven’t won since 2015. Most recently Serbia has won the last two gold medals, carried by a deep roster centered around two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. Luckily for Osman and Turkey, Serbia isn’t in the field this time around.

The 2022 edition of the Acropolis Tournament will kick off this week, with Greece, Poland, Turkey and Georgia competing in a three-game competition across three days. Each team will play each other team one time, and the best overall record will win the gold medal.

A number of talented players are expected to suit up:

Turkey has a long history of international basketball success, and a number of players have come through the NBA. That includes a few current players who are expected to play, such as Furkan Korkmaz of the Philadelphia 76ers, Alperen Sungun of the Houston Rockets and of course, Cedi Osman of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Fans of the Cavs can tune in to watch Osman play, and also catch sight of Giannis Antetokounmpo leading Greece and presumably installing them as favorites. Antetokounmpo is by far the biggest name in the field this year, and Turkey and the rest of the field will be hard-pressed to slow down a player who seems unstoppable while playing in the NBA.

The tournament will kick off on August 17th around 11am ET with Osman and Turkey taking on Georgia. To catch Giannis vs Osman, pull up the feed on Friday, August 19th around 2pm ET for the game that could decide the gold medal and pack the most NBA players. The tweet above includes a link, but with full disclosure, it has not been endorsed by King James Gospel of FanSided: click at your own discretion.

Osman may not be a star or even in the rotation back in the NBA while playing for the Cavaliers, but he has been an important part of the past few seasons of Cavs basketball. When he suits up for his country he becomes a much more important figure, illustrating just how talented even the bench players in the NBA truly are.