Eyeing rotation change for Cavs if Darius Garland misses any games

Changes for Cavs if Garland misses games: Cedi Osman

Now we reach the wild card of the rotation. Cedi Osman was hardly a rotation lock heading into Opening Night. After falling to the fringes of J.B. Bickerstaff’s rotation last season, he faced a lot of competition to get minutes on the wing. Yet Wednesday night it was Osman who got minutes and opportunities ahead of Isaac Okoro, Raul Neto and Lamar Stevens.

Osman made the most of it, shooting 6-of-12 from the field and 3-of-6 from deep en route to 17 points, second-highest on the team. His shot-making certainly helped the Cavs stay in the game, but his overall impact was not astounding. He pulled in three rebounds and just one assists, with nary a “stock” (steals + blocks) in sight. He did little more than shooting, and while this team needs a little bit of that, he has to bring more to truly earn himself a role.

This may be his chance to do just that, as Garland’s injury combined with his hot-shooting night almost certainly earned him more minutes this weekend. He started the second half at the 3 for Cleveland on Wednesday; could he start again? Or at the least, be the first player off of the bench?

It doesn’t sound like Garland will miss an extended period of time, but his absence will allow a few other players to flex their muscles in an increased opportunity. If the Cavs can weather the storm and win without Garland, the rest of the roster might be a little bit better off for it.