Cavs News: Donovan Mitchell Campaigning For Teammate To Be In Three-Point Contest

Donovan Mitchell believes Sam Merrill should represent the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA's Three-Point Contest.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have completely reshaped their offense compared to what it looked like at the beginning of the season. Their new identity centers on attempting as many threes as they can per game.

One of the effects of this new offense has been the emergence of Sam Merrill. He's been one of Cleveland's best shooters over the last month and Donovan Mitchell believes that he should showcase his talent in Indiana for the 2024 three-point contest.

Mitchell posted this on X after Cleveland's victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.

Good Morning… put Sam Merrill in the 3pt contest ‼️ @smerrill05 pic.twitter.com/ulHMjLRxfp

— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) January 21, 2024

On first thought, having Merrill in the contest against some of the NBA's top three-point shooters seems like a wild idea. But it seems less outlandish after digging deeper into the numbers.

Merrill is averaging 17.3 three-point attempts per 100 possessions. That's more than some of the game's best shooters such as Steph Curry, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Luka Doncic.

Still, Merrill's shooting the ball 41.4% from behind the arc which is better than known long-range shooters such as Duncan Robinson, Bojan Bogdanovic, Buddy Hield, and Curry.

Apr 9, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) shoots in the third quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / © David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

So, Spida's claim that Merrill should be representing the Cavaliers in the three-point contest is actually a pretty fair take. Mitchell said earlier in January that the team "loves the shots [Merrill has] been taking" and showcasing that to the rest of the league would be awesome to watch.

It would also be cool to see the NBA recognize how the Cavs have evolved into a premier three-point shooting team and give one of their best shooters such as Merrill an opportunity in the competition.