Cavaliers Guard 'Excited' About Cleveland's New Coaching Staff

Sam Merrill is optimistic about the Cleveland Cavaliers offense for the 2024-25 NBA season.

Apr 20, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) looks to shoot in the second quarter against the Orlando Magic during game one of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

The faces on the Cleveland Cavaliers bench will look very different then they did last season.

Cleveland has a new head coach, Kenny Atkinson, who will be in charge of developing a new offense for the Wine and Gold. However, the Cavs have added other new names to the coaching staff, such as Johnnie Bryant and DeMarre Carroll.

Cavaliers sharp-shooting guard Sam Merrill appeared on the Locked On Cavs Podcast and revealed that he's really looking forward to working with this new staff.

"I'm really excited about the group we have and the new staff," said Merrill. "We haven't been able to spend a ton of time together because Kenny was helping out with the French national team. But I had a couple of workouts down in Vegas during Summer League, and then I've had a couple of workouts here in Cleveland over the last couple of weeks."

Merrill noted that the team has gotten into any of the X's and O's of what the new offense may look like, but said that through some of his early impressions, the team will be very intentional with their offensive game plan.

"We haven't really gotten into system, plays, or anything like that, but it's clear there's a way we're trying to play. We've been trying to simulate decision-making, quick decisions, playing out of advantages, and just trying to play the right way offensively, and I think it's going to be really good for us."

Jan 22, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) makes a three-point shot against the Orlando Magic during the first quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

It's exciting to think about what Cleveland's offense could look like with all of the threats they have.

Obviously, Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley will be at the center of their scheme, but role players like Merrill still have an important job to play. Seeing how Atkinson and the staff use his unique skill set will be fun to watch, and Merrill appears to agree.

"I'm a big fan of the group we have, and big fan of the staff so far. I'm excited to get to know each other going forward," said Merrill.