Cleveland Cavaliers: Cedi Osman is weakest link in rebuild

Cedi Osman has been solid for the Cleveland Cavaliers but he remains the weakest link in the franchise’s ongoing rebuilding process.

Rebuilding a franchise isn’t easy. The Cleveland Cavaliers know all too well how difficult it can be to reverse a team’s fortunes. As the organization continues pushing forward with its current recovery process, it’s time to acknowledge Cedi Osman as their weakest link.

Following LeBron James’ departure in 2018, Collin Sexton and Osman stood as the Cavaliers’ most promising young prospects. Although Cleveland finished with just 19 wins, Osman earned a spot on the Rising Stars team while Sexton reached the All-Rookie Second Team. The Cavs hoped to build on this by adding Kevin Porter Jr. and Darius Garland in the 2019 NBA Draft. The results were disappointing, as Cleveland held the worst record in the Eastern Conference before the NBA went on hiatus.

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Each member of the young core played a role in this underwhelming season. Sexton and Garland failed to mesh together, combining to be one of the worst duos in the entire association. Meanwhile, Porter’s overall production was limited as the 20-year-old couldn’t be trusted with more responsibility just yet.

As for Osman, he was actually a consistent performer all season long. Though his points per game dipped a bit from last year, Osman shot better from the field and connected on a career-high 38.3 percent of his 3-pointers. Overall, he put out a solid 11.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.

So, how is Osman the weakest link in the rebuild? How is he considered more expandable than say Garland, who’s advanced metrics give him a legitimate case to be considered the worst player in the league. Well, for one, Osman doesn’t have the upside that Garland possesses.

Entering his rookie season, Garland had multiple roadblocks in his way. Not only was he recovering from a significant injury but he had to learn the ropes of the NBA while playing alongside Sexton, who isn’t known for sharing the ball at a high rate. This directly affected Garland’s production in the first half of the season but he showed real growth following the new year.

Since January, Garland’s offensive rating jumped from 101 to 108 while his net rating increased by nearly 8 points. His assist/turnover ratio nearly doubled as he began creating plays more consistently. Above all else, he shot notably better from all areas of the field during the final two months of the season. This spike in efficiency from Garland gave Cleveland everything they needed to reassure themselves that the future is still bright for the 20-year-old.

Back to Osman, his role was much more simple than Garland’s. The Cavaliers only looked to Osman to knock down open 3-pointers and defend the wing. Occasionally, Osman was given freedom within the offense to handle the ball and create plays for others. But, he mostly served as a complementary piece to the rest of the offense.

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Over half of Osman’s shot attempts last season came without him taking a single dribble. The majority of his shots came in catch-and-shoot plays while a whopping 70 percent of all of his points were assisted on. This is for good reason, as Osman lacks the assertiveness to create his own shot at a sufficient rate.

This puts a hard cap on Osman’s ceiling in the NBA. At 24 years of age, it would be a big surprise if Osman made another notable jump in his development. Odds are, he will never be a high-level producer with the ball in his hands. For players like Osman, their only path to success in the NBA is to specialize in a specific skill. See 3-point snipers like Joe Harris, Kyle Korver and J.J. Reddick, for example. Right now, Osman is a player who is average at multiple things, but great at nothing. His best fit moving forward is to become a 3-and-D threat, if that is even possible.

Osman is shooting 39.8 percent on wide-open 3-pointers, making him the 22nd-worst shooter in the league (minimum 150 attempts). This isn’t ideal for someone who should be filling the role as a floor-spacer on the wing. Furthermore, he is one of 29 players to attempt over 250 total catch-and-shoot 3-pointers this season but shot the 13th worst percentage. Giving such an average shooter this high of a volume is not a great recipe.

He isn’t reliable as a defender either. The Cavs post a much better Defensive Rating with Osman off the floor. Also, the three-man lineup of Osman, Sexton and Garland place as the eighth-worst defensive trio in the NBA (minimum 350 minutes played). He has a long way to go before being a positive factor on this end of the floor.

Finding an upgrade for Osman should be a focal point moving forward. The Cavaliers already have Dylan Windler on the backburner, one of the NCAA’s best 3-point shooters a year ago. A strong rookie season from Windler could push him into the starting lineup over Osman. Cleveland should also be looking for at the 2020 NBA Draft, where versatile wing prospects such as Devin Vassell and Issac Okoro deserve consideration.

While Garland, Sexton and Porter all have their flaws, they at least still have their own hypothetical upside. In the case of Osman, the Cavaliers may have seen everything he has to offer. This makes Cedi the weakest link in the Cavs young core.