As a rookie, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman knew his playing time would be limited. However, with the amount of injuries the team has been dealing with through the early stages of this season, Osman saw his playing time increase, if not by default. The former Turkish Cup winner has played well in his short stints with the Cavs, and LeBron James is taking notice.
“I said it this morning when you guys asked about Donovan Mitchell, I said ‘the one thing about this league is that when you get an opportunity, you start gaining confidence,’” James said via Alex Hooper of 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland. “Obviously that is what has been happening with Cedi. The coaches have confidence, we trust him on the floor.”
Osman, now 22 years of age, played a career-high 23 minutes in the Cavs’ 109-100 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night, posting 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field (1-1 from beyond the arc), four rebounds, and one steal.
“He’s a sponge, he plays extremely hard and he knows how to play,” James added. “One thing about European guys is, when they come over, they know exactly how to play. What to do, when to cut, when to shoot, how to pass, they know the fundamentals. We definitely got a good one in Cedi.”
Osman admits that he wasn’t expecting to see much action as a newly-acquired international player, but he’s already learned the values of his new team.
“For me, it’s really amazing being on this team,” Osman said. “We have great players, great coaches. This is a championship team. From the first day when we came as new players, we understood we have to leave as champions. From the first day.”
James, Osman, and the Cavs will be back in action on Tuesday night, when they’ll face off against the Milwaukee Bucks inside the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST with Fox Sports Ohio and NBA TV having live broadcast coverage.