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Cavs guard Sam Merill has been impressing as a shooter for his entire professional basketball career. He reached yet another level with the showing he had against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.
Starting out the game on fire, he finished the first-half with 26 points, while making all seven of his three-point attempts. There is a reason that this team is 22-9 when Merrill is in the lineup, and a .500 squad when he sits. He won’t be eligible to win any awards because of all the missed games, but he’s been unbelievable for the team.
The sixth-year guard is making a career-best 48% of his shots, including 47% of his three-pointers. Few have been as efficient while taking nearly eight per night. It’s time to have a conversation about just how good this guy is.
Read on for more Merrill words.
Sam Merrill Reaching Another Level for Cavs
You know you’ve made it as a standout NBA player when House of Highlights is posting about your performance. Sam Merrill, as mentioned, scored 26 points in the first half, while making all seven of his threes. No player in Cleveland Cavaliers franchise history has done that.
In all, Merrill finished with a career-best 32 points, hitting 11 of 12 shots, and nine of 10 threes overall. It took him four years and four organizations to establish himself as a legitimate NBA rotation player, and now he’s been crushing it as a primary starter on the hottest team in the league.
When Merrill was invited to the 3PT Shootout a few years ago, he opted not to partake, but rather to spend time with family. He has gotten that recognition of course. Donovan Mitchell wore a Sam “Money Merrill” jersey in his honor, when he filled in for his teammate.
It’s unfortunate that Merrill won’t be competing in this year’s 3-Point Shootout. The Utah State product would have a legitimate chance to win it. With players like Damian Lillard (0 games played) and Devin Booker (30.7% 3PT this season) partaking, it is certainly unfortunate.
This guy has clearly proven himself as one of the top marksmen in the league. Ranking 3rd in 3PT percentage behind only Luke Kennard and fellow teammate Jaylon Tyson, he’s made a significant difference to winning.
Ever since joining the Cavs in March of 2023, he’s been a difference maker, and has been climbing the ranks each and every season.
Sam Merrill, Cavs, Continue to Make Headlines
The nine three-pointers for Sam Merrill tied a career-high, but this was far from the first time he shot the lights out like this. He now has 15 games of 4+ made threes in 31 appearances, and in 10 of those, he’s hit 5+.
Additionally for Merrill, the team is 6-0 when he makes at least six threes. His success and the team’s success has a clear correlation.
Thinking about the most prolific 3PT shooters in franchise history, names like JR Smith, Daniel Gibson, Kevin Love, Wesley Person, CJ Miles Mark Price, and Kyrie Irving come up. Donovan Mitchell himself even leads the NBA in makes from beyond the arc this season.
But when you talk about combined volume and efficiency, Merrill may be standing just a slight bit above these guys. Going from the last pick in the NBA Draft, to a starter on a 34-21 team is no small feat.
He absolutely belongs in the conversation as one of, (if not the best,) shooter(s) in the NBA.
Zach Weiss Zach Weiss is a sports reporter covering the NBA for Heavy. He also hosts a podcast about the Cleveland Cavaliers, “Across the Cavs,” and serves as a sports broadcaster for various institutions in the Greater NYC Area. He wrote for Knup Sports for six years. More about Zach Weiss
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