Cedi Osman’s busy summer is now at an end.
On Monday, Osman scored 19 points and and pulled down 11 rebounds in Turkey’s 85-77 win vs. Slovenia, the reigning EuroBasket champion, in Turkey’s final World Cup qualifier.
With the win, Turkey finishes 6-2 in its group with only Spain (and its 7-1 record) ahead of them. Osman and Turkey have now won four straight international games. And in that stretch, Osman has scored in double figures in each game and posted two double-doubles. Turkey is now in a good position to advance further into qualifying.
Osman’s focus now turns to his second season with the Cavs, where he is likely to take on a much larger role than he had last season. Overall, including his brief appearance at summer league, Osman has looked poised and ready for a breakout. He’s scoring and creating, taking pull-up threes (and making them) and playing a brand of basketball that makes him an interesting piece for Cleveland in a post-LeBron James world.
The Cavs open up training camp for the 2018-19 season next week. In addition to Osman, Tristan Thompson, Jordan Clarkson and Ante Zizic played internationally this summer.