The future of the Cleveland Cavaliers isn’t exactly bright, especially if LeBron James decides to sign elsewhere in free agency this offseason. However, the Cavs do have a few young players who could develop into solid contributors over the next few seasons.
Three members of the team stand out when talking about the team post-LeBron: Rodney Hood, Cedi Osman, and Ante Zizic.
Rodney Hood
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After being acquired from the Utah Jazz at the trade deadline, Hood played in 21 regular season games for the Cavs, starting 11. He averaged 10.8 points on 35% shooting from deep in 25.3 minutes per game.
Standing at 6-foot-8, Hood injected some much-needed size and youth into the Cavs’ back-court, as his ability to defend guards and forwards was welcomed by the Cavs’ poor bench. Hood is an athletic scorer who can take over a game when he’s on fire.
At just 25 years old, he still has plenty of room to improve as he approaches his prime. The biggest area where Hood can take a step forward is consistency, and that will determine whether or not he will remain a Cavalier next season.
Hood’s impact was positive, but he hasn’t been the same player thus far in the playoffs.
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In Cleveland’s nine posteason games, Hood has averaged just 5.1 points while shooting just 14% from three-point range. His ineffectiveness has lead to his playing time decreasing, as he played in only 17.8 minutes per contest. Unfortunately, this is nothing new, as Hood’s performance dropped dramatically from the 2016-2017 regular season to the playoffs as well.
The Cavs will have a decision to make concerning Hood. He will be a restricted free agent after the season, meaning that Cleveland will be able to match any offer that Hood is offered from another team. If the Cavs can’t depend on Hood in the playoffs, is there really a reason to bring him back?
Prior to the 2015-2016 season, Iman Shumpert signed a fully-guaranteed four-year $40 million contract with Cleveland. Hood should command at least that much, and other teams may be willing to give him even more. The Cavs are already in salary cap hell, and devoting all that money to a play who disappears in the playoffs may not be the wisest move.
However, if Hood breaks out of his slump, and the Cavs do decide to bring him back, he has the chance to take over as the team’s primary shooting guard, a role J.R. Smith has possessed since joining the team in early 2015.
Cedi Osman
Osman was the 31st pick of the 2015 NBA Draft, and after being selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was then traded, along with Rakeem Christmas, to the Cavs for their selection, point guard Tyus Jones.
Over two years later, Osman left Europe and joined the Cavaliers. He probably deserved more playing time than he received, but Osman still played in 62 games, starting 12. He averaged 3.9 points and two rebounds in 11 minutes per game, while shooting 37% from three. Osman’s impact went beyond stats; he brought an energy and intensity on both ends of the floor to an old and at times lethargic Cavalier team.
Osman has a natural shooting touch, and the size, athleticism, and effort needed to become a good defender. Because he is a rookie, he has hardly played in these playoffs, but his performance this season is extremely encouraging for his future. He will either be a big part of the Cavs’ future, or an attractive trade chip this offseason.
Ante Zizic
Zizic was the least talked-about part of the Kyrie Irving trade(aside from the extra second rounder the Cavs got after re-negotiating the trade), but he is the last remaining player from that deal. Like Osman, Zizic’s youth prevented him from having a consistent role with Cleveland in his rookie season, but in his limited action, he showed the potential to develop into a very good center.
In 32 games(two starts), Zizic averaged 3.7 points and 1.9 rebounds in 6.7 minutes of play, with a fantastic 73% shooting percentage. Zizic filled in for an injured Tristan Thompson late in the month of March, and performed admirably. He has played just four minutes this postseason, and doesn’t figure to get much more playing time than that unless the Cavs are in a blowout, or there is a significant injury(knock on wood).
At 6’1″ 250lbs, Zizic is larger than any other player on Cleveland’s roster. He posseses not only the size, but also has the athleticism to match up with any big man in the NBA. He is still quite raw, and needs to refine many different aspects of his game, but Zizic could be the answer to the Cavs’ woes at center that have been present ever since Timofey Mozgov left in free agency before the 2016-2017 season.
The Cavs are one of the NBA’s oldest teams in terms of average age, and they are built to win now, but these three players represent the next era of the team. Hood, Osman, Zizic, and the player selected with the Brooklyn Nets’ first round pick could give Cleveland a nice young nucleus to build around for the future.