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Report: Cedi Osman Was Last Player to Leave Gym After Loss to Orlando Magic

Jordan Clarkson, Cedi Osman, Tristan Thompson, and George Hill

Cleveland Cavaliers rising star Cedi Osman was the last player to leave the gym following Monday night’s last-second loss to the Orlando Magic, and there’s a good reason why.

Osman played a costly role in allowing the Magic to come back from a three-point deficit with just over 20 seconds left in the game when he committed a turnover after an ill-advised pass.

“Obviously it was a bad pass. That was a huge mistake. I think it cost us the game,” Osman said.

Osman could have easily held on to the game and milked the clock, forcing the Magic to foul him. Instead, he tried to make a play.

“I just saw G Hill (George Hill) because he was wide open and that layup, like if he scored fast the clock will go and at that time JC (Jordan Clarkson) was running through the middle and I didn’t see JC,” Osman said. “I should just keep it in my hands and we (win) the game. It was a bad decision.”

He was also the Cavs player responsible for guarding Evan Fournier when the Magic sharpshooter hit the game winning 3-point shot. Osman didn’t blame himself for the last-second game-winner, and he shouldn’t, but he definitely isn’t letting himself off the hook.

“It was a huge disappointment from myself,” he said. “That was a mistake that for myself as a professional for a lot of years should not have made that. Just a bad decision and I have to live with it. I said I’m sorry to the guys about the game. That’s how I feel. It was on me tonight.”

Osman’s costly play late in the game was certainly a pity, but overall the Turkish national’s play so far this season has been far from disappointing. So far this season, Osman is averaging 12.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. While fans will want to see those numbers steadily improve as the season goes on, he has so far done a solid job in filling the massive void that LeBron James left when he signed with Los Angeles this summer.

Osman, and many of the other young players on the Cavs roster are going through some clear growing pains at the moment. Monday’s game was a reminder that those growing pains don’t just include physical lessons, but mental ones as well.

Hopefully Osman learns from his costly mistake. Considering the fact that he was the last player in the gym following the loss, it seems likely that he already has.

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