2019-20 Preseason Profile: Cedi Osman
Third-Year Forward Looks to Build Off International Experience
by Joe Gabriele (@CavsJoeG)
9/20/19 | Cavs.com
It’s hard to argue against Pascal Siakam winning the league’s 2019 Most Improved Player award – having gone from G-League call-up to one of the key components of Toronto’s title-winning squad – upping his scoring average from 7.3 ppg the previous year to 16.9 ppg last season.
Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox and Brooklyn’s D’Angelo Russell finished 2-3, respectively.
These votes make complete sense. Paul George, Derrick Rose and Giannis Antetokounmpo receiving votes, while the Cavaliers Cedi Osman received none – in this writer’s opinion – does not.
But today’s profile isn’t a reflection on some misinformed voters or Cleveland getting jobbed. It’s about a major leap the young Cedi took from his rookie to sophomore campaign – tripling his scoring average in his first full season as a starter.
Osman was the first pick of the second round by Minnesota in 2015 – four selections after the Lakers nabbed Larry Nance Jr. – but immediately dealt to the Wine & Gold (along with a pair of second rounders) in exchange for point guard Tyus Jones.
The 6-8 forward averaged just over 11 minutes per game as a rookie, seeing limited action behind a guy named LeBron James. But he did manage to start 12 games mid-season and get Playoff and Finals experience that spring.
Osman has also gotten added experience playing for the Turkish national squad – including this year’s FIBA Basketball World Cup this summer and the European Qualifiers a year ago. In this year’s international tournament, Cedi was outstanding – averaging 20.4 ppg, including a 15-point performance against Team USA and a 32-point outburst against New Zealand.
The key for Osman now is to continue his upward trajectory. He won’t triple his output like he did from Year 1 to Year 2, but if he’s able to be more consistent and get stronger physically, perhaps he’ll be the one holding the league’s Most Improved Player hardware when the 2019-20 season wraps up.
Cedi Osman looks to parlay his strong summer performance with Turkey into a strong third season in the Association.
Photo: Lintao Zhang/NBAE/Getty Images
LOOKING BACK -- Among NBA payers who attempted at least 150 field goals, only two saw a bigger jump than Cedi Osman.
Overall, the 24-year-old Osman finished with averages of 13.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 2.6 apg in just over 32 minutes per. He tallied double-figures in 52 games, topping the 20-point plateau on 13 occasions while tallying three double-doubles.
Consistency was an issue for Cedi. He came out of the gate quick, posting a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double in the opener in Toronto and followed that up with a 22-point effort in Minnesota. He then proceeded to go 10-for-37 over his next three outings.
By the same token, Cedi showed glimpses of why he’s a strong part of the Cavaliers’ core moving forward – specifically a 29-point outing over the stingy Heat one game after posting a previous career-high 25 against the Celtics in Boston.
The young Macedonian – who once starred in his own Head and Shoulders commercial – was also the Wine & Gold’s sole representative at this past year’s All-Star Weekend in Charlotte as a member of the World Team in the Rising Stars Challenge.
Osman proceeded to finish the season strong – tallying double-figures in five of Cleveland’s final six contests – averaging 13.8 points per over the final week-and-a-half of the year.
BY THE NUMBERS: 24.3 … points per game that Osman averaged over a four-game stretch in late-January, notching at least 25 points in three of those contests, shooting 55 percent from the floor and 48 percent from long-range over that span.
In Cedi’s 13 games of 20-plus points, he shot 56 percent from the floor and 57 percent from beyond the arc.
LOOKING AHEAD -- Osman came to Training Camp last season brimming with confidence after a strong run in the FIBA European Qualifiers. After a strong regular season with Cleveland last year and an even better international performance this year, he should show up ready to get busy next Monday.
The Cavaliers took a pair of guards with a couple of their first round selections, but rookie Dylan Windler was impressive in Summer League and, as a four-year college player, could earn plenty of minutes behind Osman as a rookie.
A little friendly competition might be good for both players.