{"id":335396,"date":"2025-10-27T05:23:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T05:23:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/335396\/"},"modified":"2025-10-27T05:23:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T05:23:11","slug":"cavs-sam-merrill-is-taking-it-to-the-next-level","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/335396\/","title":{"rendered":"Cavs: Sam Merrill is taking it to the next level"},"content":{"rendered":"

No one was expecting any big surprises during the Cleveland Cavaliers\u2019 2025-26 NBA season. This team has been together long enough \u2014 and proven enough in the regular season \u2014 that it felt unlikely we\u2019d learn anything substantial about them in the opening weeks.<\/p>\n

Sam Merrill might change all of that.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe\u2019s probably been our best player over the first three games,\u201d said Kenny Atkinson after Cleveland\u2019s win over the Milwaukee Bucks.<\/p>\n

Merrill scored 17 points and drilled 4-of-9 three-point attempts in the win. He had 22 points in Brooklyn and 19 points in the season opener against New York. In total, Merrill has nailed 15 three-pointers in his first three games. Only Stephen Curry has made more to start the season.<\/p>\n

Now let\u2019s be clear. Merrill isn\u2019t the Cavaliers\u2019 best player, nor is he on the verge of developing into a perennial All-Star. Even Merrill himself knows that<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But what we\u2019ve seen from Merrill in this opening week is more than a streaky shooter catching fire. He\u2019s playing a strong all-around game that is easy to replicate. He\u2019s been a positive defender, and his role within the offense is more than just being a catch-and-shoot threat. Merrill fits in seamlessly to anything the Cavs want to accomplish on either end of the floor.<\/p>\n

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Merrill might not handle the ball in a pick-and-roll, but he can set a screen and put defenders in a bind. Merrill won\u2019t earn himself an All-Defensive nod, but he can fight hard and funnel his matchup into Cleveland\u2019s sweet spots. He isn\u2019t an elite playmaker, but the ball doesn\u2019t stick in his hands. Merrill finds a way to fit in.<\/p>\n

Certain things can only be learned through experience. For Merrill, the reps that he\u2019s gotten under his belt in recent years have clearly been paying off. He looks more comfortable and confident than ever before. The Cavs have learned how to maximize Merrill as a player \u2014 and he\u2019s responded with the best all-around basketball of his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to prove it over and over,\u201d Merrill said. \u201cI have gotten stronger, more experienced guarding guys\u2026 I definitely feel very comfortable and confident on that end.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Sunday\u2019s win over the Bucks is a great example of this. Merrill was playing defense with the confidence of a player who has already survived the gauntlet. He showed no fear stunting on Giannis Antetokounmpo and forced multiple Milwaukee turnovers by being in the right place at the right time.<\/p>\n

All the while, Merrill kept the Bucks in constant pursuit as he sought out openings to score the ball. This meant his usual dose of three-point shooting \u2014 but also \u2014 a sneaky backdoor cut into an uncontested layup on an inbounds pass.<\/p>\n

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Again, it\u2019s more than just the shooting. Merrill is one of the quickest decision makers on the team. He is either passing, shooting, or dribbling within milliseconds of touching the ball. That\u2019s the type of player who greases the wheels of any offense.<\/p>\n

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So, where does this take Merrill? He won\u2019t be in the starting lineup once Darius Garland makes his debut. And he\u2019ll have even tighter competition in the backcourt when Max Strus returns. But I wouldn\u2019t expect Merrill to leave the rotation any time soon.<\/p>\n

Shooters of his caliber are too valuable. This three-point talent is even more valuable when you pair his off-ball motor and selflessness in making the extra pass.<\/p>\n

Finally, add the experience and growing confidence that Merrill is finding defensively, and suddenly, he\u2019s one of the best two-way players on the roster.<\/p>\n

Sure, he won\u2019t shoot 50% from deep for the entire season \u2014 but Merrill\u2019s game is becoming more than that. His role will stay the same even after the Cavs get their full lineup back. He\u2019s too helpful on both ends of the floor to keep him off it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"No one was expecting any big surprises during the Cleveland Cavaliers\u2019 2025-26 NBA season. This team has been…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":335397,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[1121,3128,59153,3368,59157,3130,1260,21592,62,3366,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-335396","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-brooklyn","9":"tag-cleveland-cavaliers","10":"tag-darius-garland","11":"tag-giannis-antetokounmpo","12":"tag-max-strus","13":"tag-milwaukee-bucks","14":"tag-nba","15":"tag-sam-merrill","16":"tag-sports","17":"tag-stephen-curry","18":"tag-united-states","19":"tag-unitedstates","20":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115444462654746785","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=335396"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335396\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/335397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=335396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=335396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=335396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}