Cedi Osman’s Sizzling Summer Continues As Turkey Wins Again

August 17, 2022

It’s been a banner offseason for Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman, who has been representing the home team ahead of the 2022 Eurobasket.

The last example came in Turkey’s 101-88 win over Georgia in an exhibition game — in which Osman went for 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting.

This followed similar top-notch performances from Osman, who scored 18 points in a win over Poland. Before that, he scored 17 as the Turks raced past Ukraine. So they have won all three matches ahead of Eurobasket, slated to tip of Sept. 1.

Turkey has seven NBA players on the roster overall. Against Georgia, Furkan Korkmaz (76ers) scored 18 points and Alperen Sengun (Rockets) had 17 on 6-of-8 shooting.

Cedi Osman embraced the leadership role in Turkish national team this summer. The preparation game vs Georgia was another one proof.

22 pts / 9-14 FG / 2 rebs / 3 asts

Cedi will be cornerstone for Turkey's success at Eurobasket 2022. #BizBirlikteyiz #Cavs #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/8jhwn13Kpv

— Christos Tsaltas (@Tsaltas46) August 17, 2022

Osman is entering a critical season, with his future in Cleveland believed to be very much up in the air. He was in Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff‘s doghouse for part of last season, and is one of a glut of wings on the roster. He will be battling for playing time with the likes of Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, rookie Ochai Agbaji and presumably Collin Sexton, a restricted free agent.

The Cavs have discussed Osman in several trade scenarios this offseason, per Hoops Wire sources. But for now, his focus is on the Turkish national team — which features seven NBA players — and so far, Osman has delivered.

The 2022 Eurobasket concludes Sept. 18. With the way things are going early, Osman and his mates may still be playing then.

“Going into the official contests, the (Turkish) team coached by Ergin Ataman will collide with Latvia and Serbia in Group I of the 2023 FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers before heading to Group A of the 2022 EuroBasket,” wrote Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. “Montenegro, Bulgaria, Georgia, Belgium, and Spain stand between a berth in the knockout stage of the tournament.”