Cedi Osman produces when he’s allowed to play significant minutes

The Cleveland Cavaliers need to play Cedi Osman more, as he produces when given the chance.

Cedi Osman is dubbed, by many, as a “streaky” player. But is he really? The more the season goes on, the more the team uses or doesn’t use him, and the more obvious it is that Osman is someone the team needs. He’s without a doubt an upgrade over Caris LeVert in the rotation, and the number back that up. Not only is he scoring at a more efficient pace but he’s among the Cavs’ most efficient lineups, on both offense and defense.

The problem is that Osman isn’t getting consistent minutes. Of his 50 games played, he’s played less than 20 minutes in 17 games. In those games, he struggles a bit more than normal. His season average of 36% from three leaps, however, to 41% if he plays 20 minutes or more in a game.

He’s so efficient the longer the game goes on, he’s only scored single digits nine times in 33 games where he’s broken the 20-minute plane. He’s done it on nearly 49% shooting all-in told. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that he’s averaging 13 points per game when given the chance to actually play.

The issue isn’t Osman’s consistency, the issue is the consistency in Osman’s playing time.

The Cleveland Cavaliers need Cedi Osman to play more

Osman isn’t the issue on this team, but J.B. Bickerstaff may be. For someone who has his fingers on the pulse of the team as much as he does, you have to wonder why Osman isn’t getting more minutes.

He performs well when he can shoot more. He’s a rhythm scorer, and constantly messing with his minutes isn’t helping the team, let alone Osman. The Cavs are 22-11 in the games he hits 20 minutes, and the Cavs are 6-1 over the last seven games where Osman hits 20 minutes in a game. The Cavs are just 10-11 when Osman doesn’t hit 20 minutes. Osman isn’t the best player on the team, but he provides enough of a difference to push the team over the top.

It’s not even a debate, Osman makes the Cavs better and if Bickerstaff doesn’t see that, maybe it’s time to find someone who can.