Cedi Osman seems to be in the dog house due to his defense

Cedi Osman’s time with the Cleveland Cavaliers may be coming to an end.

Where has Cedi Osman gone? That’s the question Cleveland Cavalier fans have been asking for weeks. Seemingly since the All-Star break, the point-forward has found himself getting fewer and fewer minutes. Caris LeVert’s trade may have had something to do with that, but it wasn’t the overwhelming reason.

After all, it isn’t LeVert who’s getting Osman’s minutes, it’s Dylan Windler. So why are the Cavs going with Windler and not Osman?

Offensively, he’s not an issue, shooting 43% from the floor and 35% from three. Sure, he’s streaky at times but he’s mostly reliable, at least compared to LeVert. So why is Osman on the bench when LeVert, who’s shooting worse, isn’t?

Because it’s not about offense, it’s about defense.

Cedi Osman’s defense seems to be the reason he lost his spot with the Cavaliers

Right now the only player on the Cavs who is playing worse defense than Osman is LeVert, at least according to their RAPTOR scores. Osman has a -1.5 RAPTOR score while LeVert has a -2.2. While LeVert has struggled in Cleveland, in Indiana he was a force. So it appears that JB Bickerstaff is going with the historically more consistent LeVert as their offensive bench creator.

Yet, there’s hope that when Jarrett Allen, Dean Wade, and Evan Mobley are healthy, Osman replaces Windler in the lineup. Windler is filling in right now to help bolster the defense, something Osman just can’t do.

According to the Akron Beacon Journal, Osman just can’t help the Cavs that much with the lack of help defensively. The Cavs, with Osman on the court, have been outscored by a total of 84 points as of March 29.

The Cavs need their defensive hitters back, and once they come back it’s likely we see the Cavs bring Osman off the bench. It’s pretty obvious that Bickerstaff sees Osman as a negative on defense and that’s fair, he hasn’t played up to the standards of this team.

Yet with Mobley and Allen back, plus a healthy Rajon Rondo and Isaac Okoro, the Cavs may be able to bring Osman back into the fold, as he is a great offensive presence off the bench. That said, Osman’s return remains solely up to the team and the best defensive players they have to offer.

This postseason will also likely determine if Osman (or even LeVert) needs to be moved. Neither man seems to fit with the club’s defensive-first focus and that isn’t something to overlook.