The Cleveland Cavaliers are smartly bringing back Cedi Osman

The Cleveland Cavaliers have decided to bring back Cedi Osman.

Cedi Osman is a polarizing player for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Not in a way that reminds one of Deshaun Watson, but in the way where his play, his fit, and his usage by the head coach are often very inconsistent. Some people just want him gone, while others want him to be given a consistent role. He’s not an easy player to read but I firmly believe that he makes the Cavs better.

So it’s not surprising at all that the Cavs have decided to pick up his contract for the current NBA season. Osman, 28, is in the last year of his contract, a contract whose last year was non-guaranteed. The six-year-pro has been a rotation player for J.B. Bickerstaff off the bench, but for some reason, Bickestaff has not been a big fan of using Osman.

Cedi Osman’s inconsistent use is baffling considering he’s better than most on the team

The Cleveland Cavaliers head coach, J.B. Bickerstaff, has a tendency to not use Osman for one reason or another. Whenever Osman makes a minor mistake or has an off-night shooting, he’s often on the bench for the rest of the game, if not multiple games in a row.

Despite being a better offensive player than Caris LeVert, someone that Bickerstaff gives carte blanche to. Osman has a higher true shooting percentage than LeVert (.579 to .546), Osman is a better offensive factor to the team, as he has a higher offensive box plus-minus than LeVert (-0.8 to -1.0), as well as a higher offensive rating (117 to 111).

Yet, despite being a more reliable offensive player, he’s often subjected to an unusually strict play style that no one else on the team seems to have to endure. So while Osman makes the Cavs better, the Cavs’ coaching staff has to let him make the team better with his dynamic play-making abilities.

• Published on 06/29/2023 at 22:08 PM
• Last updated at 06/30/2023 at 22:19 PM