Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 reasons for their undefeated start

2. Cedi Osman’s bench presence

With a collection of young talents such as Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Dylan Windler, Kevin Porter Jr. and Isaac Okoro,  it seemed Cedi Osman might become the odd-man-out entering the season. However, he has flourished in his role as a Sixth Man.

At 25 years of age, Osman is off to the best start of his career and has made some enormous leaps in his development. His increased confidence and growth as a shooter has made him an elite spark plug off the bench so far.

Osman is averaging 15.7 points on 16-of-29 (55.2 percent) shooting from the floor and 9-of-17 (52.9 percent) shooting from the 3-point line. He is fifth in the league in points off the bench and has done so in fewer minutes than anyone else in the top 10.

Last year, Osman was just an average 3-point shooter on a decent amount of attempts per game. He was often forgotten about in the Cavs’ offense, going through long stretches without touching the ball or attempting a shot.

However, in his more focused role with the second unit, Osman has free reign to enter the game and look for his shot. As a result, his Usage Rate has jumped from 16.2 to 20.8, roughly the same usage as the Cavs’ starters.

Osman is second in the NBA in catch-and-shoot 3-pointers this season, behind only Lauri Markkanen and tied with Duncan Robinson. He is connecting on 56.3 percent of his attempts, a league-best for players with 15+ attempts.

His improved shooting, combined with strong finishing around the rim, has made Osman one of the best sixth men in the league through three games – a trend we hope to see continue moving forward.