After LeBron James’ decision to head to the Los Angeles Lakers was final, an opportunity opened up for Cedi Osman. The Cleveland Cavaliers’ young swingman will have the opportunity to start on the new-look Cavs, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. Vardon writes:
Osman will surely be a rotation player with a chance to start. Could he and Hood find a way to combine and make up for the 28 points, nine rebounds and nine assists the Cavs lost in James?
Osman is entering his second year in the league. He saw action in 61 games last season and played 11 minutes per game. He recorded averages of 3.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. These are pedestrian numbers, but Osman was in his age-22 season and transitioning to the NBA. Not to mention, he was transitioning to a new country as well.
He wasn’t a consistent contributor when the playoffs started, but Osman will definitely take on a greater role this season. The Cavs are opting to retool rather than completely break it down and rebuild. That makes Osman’s development that much more important. The 23-year-old is one of the key young pieces in Cleveland along with rookie point guard Collin Sexton.
Whether or not Osman starts consistently isn’t what’s important. The Cavs need him to develop into a consistent rotational player. Even if he’s a guy who comes in off the bench, Cleveland just wants Osman to become a consistent contributor at this stage in his career.