1. 3-Point shooting
The most important thing for Cedi Osman to work on is his 3-point shooting. The 3-point shot has become incredibly valuable in the NBA and Osman has a ways to go before being considered an elite shooter.
Last season, Osman connected on 130 total 3-pointers, shooting 34.8 percent from behind the line. This is a fairly average number, but it is awful when diving deeper into the statistics. Let’s take a look at how defense impacted Osman’s shot attempts.
Osman’s 3-Point percentage and closest defender:
- 6 Feet (Wide Open): 32.4 percent
- 4-6 Feet (Open): 38.9 percent
- 2-4 Feet (Tight): 33.3 percent
- 0-2 Feet (Very Tight): 25.0 percent
As you can see, Osman is a poor shooter even when he is wide open. His 32.4 percent shooting on 2.8 wide-open attempts per game makes him the third-worst shooter in the league, in front of only Joel Embiid and Kyle Kuzma (minimum 2.8 attempts per game).
There’s really no explanation for how Osman is such a poor shooter when he is wide open. It is his wild inconsistency when shooting that makes it difficult for him to have a truly great impact offensively for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Osman has no option but to improve as a shooter. Without a consistent touch from deep, he will quickly have his other talents drowned out by his inability to knock down open shots. If Osman wants to take the next step in his game, he better start with his jump shot.