2015 NBA Draft: Cedi Osman (Anadolu Efes, TUR)

Birthday: 4/8/95

NBA Position: Small Forward

Class: International

Ht: 6-8

Wt: 215

Team: Anadolu Efes

Hometown: Ohrid, Macedonia

NBA Comparison: Walt Williams/Jiri Welsch

Strengths: 

As a 6-8 versatile swingman, he has solid size and body to play the position, combining a remarkable wingspan and above average athleticism by European standards ... His athleticism and leaping abilities make him effective in the open court, both in offensive and defensive situations ... He uses screens and fakes to perfection to create space for shots or penetration to the basket, where he’s able to finish with either hand ... He’s an excellent spot up shooter, with both feet on the ground, showing excellent range ... His maturity and basketball IQ are really impressive, often playing as a point forward thanks to his handle, passing skills and court vision ... He can be considered a versatile offensive presence, as he excels in drive and dish, creating shots for his teammates ... His size makes him an excellent rebounder for his position (almost 5 per game this season), plus he’s able to guard frontcourt players, giving his coach great defensive flexibility ... He’s really effective playing passing lanes.

Weaknesses: 

He still needs to work on his muscular structure since he tends to be affected by contact when attacking the basket ... He struggles to create his own shot in ISO situations since he lacks an explosive first step and a reliable crossover dribble ... Despite possessing solid shooting skills, he still has to work on his mechanics, adding fluidity and quickness to his release ... Furthermore, he lacks a solid midrange game, since his pull-up jumper is not as reliable as his game in the painted area or outside the three point line ... On the defensive side, he lacks elite lateral quickness and this limits his effectiveness as a 1 on 1 defender, especially against quicker opponents ... Ankle injury has taken him out of latter part of season ... 

Notes:

Osman was MVP of last U20 European championship, leading Turkey to the gold medal (13.7 pts, 4.1 rb, 2.5 as). He has been member of the Turkish U-16 and U-18 National Team, he played at the 2011 European U-16 Championship and at the 2012 European U-18 Championship. He had 8 points and 5 rebounds during the playoff series in Euroleague against Real Madrid with a key role played. He has just declared he will stay in Europe for another two seasons, thus making him an ideal draft and stash pick.

Davide Bortulozzi 5/24/15