Has Sam Merrill Earned A Spot In The Cavaliers Rotation?

Sam Merrill shot 45 percent from three and was named to All-Summer League First Team as the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Summer League Championship. Is this enough to get him in the rotation?

The Cleveland Cavaliers went down to Las Vegas earlier this summer and showcased to the rest of the NBA what their young core had to offer. They won the championship while giving J.B. Bickerstaff and the front office a lot to consider when looking at their roster and rotation for next season.

One player who really opened people's eyes was Sam Merrill.

A little background on Merrill. The shooting guard jumped around the league after being drafted late in the second round of the 2020 draft. He then went first overall to the Cleveland Charge in the 2022-23 G League Draft.

Merrill was stellar with the Charge averaging 18.4 points per game last season which earned him a three-year contract extension with the Cavaliers. 

Merrill's biggest strength is his three-point shooting which was on display during Summer League. He led the team averaging 20.4 points per game while shooting 45 percent from behind the arc on 11.2 attempts per game. This included one game where he for 27 points with eight made threes.

This performance helped Sam earn the All-Summer League First Team honors.

Is all of this enough for Merrill to crack Cleveland's rotation? The Cavs suffered a lot from not having anyone else outside of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell who could shoot threes. 

They went out and addressed this offseason bringing in Max Strus and Georges Niang, but they still look for more off the bench. That's where Merrill comes in.

It's hard to envision Bickerstaff immediately moving away from players such as Isaac Okoro who bring a lot to the table defensively. But if Okoro doesn't improve on offense, then it wouldn't be surprising to see him give Merill a chance. 

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