Basketball bliss: Cedi Osman thrives with Cavaliers after storybook wedding

INDEPENDENCE — Part of Cedi Osman’s role with the Cavaliers is to provide a spark with his uplifting spirit, to add joy when he comes off the bench.

But when Osman got off to a strong start, fellow Cavs forward Kevin Love mused that the joy in Osman’s personal life following his July wedding to Turkish actor Ebru Sahin might be having a positive effect on Osman’s performance.

Sahin remained in Turkey while Osman played for the Cavs and his chances to see her were limited. Now she’s with him in Cleveland and he’s been the biggest surprise of the Cavs' 2-1 season.

Going into Wednesday night’s home game against the Orlando Magic, Osman’s 16 points per game stands second on the Cavs behind three-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell (33.3). Osman’s .571 3-point percentage is tied for the team lead with Dean Wade; Osman’s .567 field-goal percentage stands third-best among regulars.

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In his sixth season with the Cavs, Osman wasn’t sure whether having Sahin with him is making a difference on the court but acknowledged “it gets tough” when they are separated.

“She’s working. She’s pretty busy. But we always have each other’s back and are always supporting each other no matter what,” Osman said after practice Tuesday at Cleveland Clinic Courts. “She’s here with me and I feel great. You can say that probably affects my game, too, because she’s there supporting.”

Cedi Osman had a meeting with Cavaliers' front office while on honeymoon in Greece

The couple enjoyed a storybook wedding in Ohrid, Macedonia, a honeymoon in Greece and a vacation in the Seychelles. But while in Greece, Osman went to dinner with Cavs General Manager Mike Gansey and coach J.B. Bickerstaff.

Osman, 27, said he’s had lots of conversations with Bickerstaff over the summer and during training camp about his role and where he needed to improve. Those talks now seem to be hitting home.

“Talking to J.B. over and over — and I believe that has really helped our relationship too, just talking to each other more and asking questions,” Osman said. “He was saying, ‘I don’t care if you miss a shot or anything. I want you to be better on defense and play with energy.’

“I’m aware of it. I’m capable of doing it. I’ve accepted that challenge. I feel in those three games I did a good job.”

Osman is the fourth player in Cavs history to start the season with three consecutive games of 15+ points off the bench. He joined Campy Russell (1976-77), Austin Carr (1978-79) and Jordan Clarkson (2018-19), the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2020-21 with the Utah Jazz.

“Us as a coaching staff continue to instill the belief in him that we don't care about makes and misses with Cedi,” Bickerstaff said before Sunday’s 117-107 overtime victory over the Washington Wizards at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. “There's so much more that he does to help our team. Obviously, if you're making shots, we love it. But you will not come out of the game for missing a shot, so provide that spark in other ways.

“He does a great job of getting to the basket. He moves at a pace and tempo that defenses have a hard time keeping up with. He's a good facilitator when he's moving and makes his teammates better. He gets deflections on the defensive end and gets us out and transition. We just have to keep focusing on that. The scoring is a bonus if we continue to emphasize those other things.”

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Defense has been on Cedi Osman's mind

Osman has always been dangerous on the fast break, and that has carried over to this season.

“He has the ability to be fast and under control. When he's running full speed, he can change directions where the defense is always kind of guessing,” Bickerstaff said.

“You can watch him, when he catches the ball, he's always got his head up. So when his head is up, he can see where the defense is. He sees where their momentum is carrying them, and then how he can change the directions to kind of defeat that.”

Osman sloughed that off as “always kind of my thing.” Defense is foremost in his mind, saying it’s “important to bring the energy and bring toughness on defense.”

“I’m really concentrating on my defense this year,” he said. “I know I’m going to be able to stay longer on the court if I improve my defense.”

Osman considered 2021-22 his best season, even though he was benched by Bickerstaff for two games and got a quick hook in another. He said earlier this month that’s when he grasped his role and what the coaches were asking from him.

Now he wants to add to it. That would be timely, since the contract extension he signed in October 2019 doesn’t become guaranteed for 2023-24 until next June.

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'I knew this was going to be a really special season for us'

Osman is excited about what’s in store following the Sept. 1 blockbuster trade for Mitchell, who set records for a Cavs player’s debut with 100 points in three games. And they still don't have point guard Darius Garland, whom Bickerstaff said will likely sit out for the third consecutive game Wednesday due to an eye injury.

“I knew, especially after we traded for Donovan, I knew this was going to be a really special season for us because we have a really young and talented team,” Osman said. “That’s why I believe we can do a lot of great things, especially the way we’re playing right now. Then we get DG back and we will be even better.”

Osman has been so effective that he’s set a high standard for himself. Through three games, he’s tied for third in the league with a +51 plus minus, according to statmuse.com. That’s part of what excites Love.

“I’ve been on him about just playing free,” Love told reporters in Chicago in reference to Osman Saturday. “He’s playing out in transition. He’s slashing to the cup. He hits tough shots. He hits open shots. When he’s playing free and having joy, it’s fun to watch.

“He’s like a whole different person and whole different player. I don’t know if it’s because he got married this summer and wanted to come out right away and play that well off the bat, but he’s been great."

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cedi Osman gets the message, focuses on defense for Cavaliers