Heading into a late December tilt between the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers, everyone was focused on the possible battle between Donovan Mitchell and Dillon Brooks after their explosive fracas last year. Mitchell didn't disappoint, finishing the night with 37 points and six assists as Cleveland's de facto point guard. Brooks, meanwhile, didn't disappoint either, making another dirty play, where he raked Max Strus in the face but wasn't called for the foul.
But neither player was the biggest storyline in this game or for either team. Instead, it was Sam Merrill, a former two-way player for the Cavs, who stole the show and was the reason why Cleveland was able to put Houston away in overtime. Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he went with Merrill to start the overtime period over sixth man Caris LeVert to give Cleveland a little more juice offensively. Merrill responded, leading the Wine and Gold in scoring in the OT period with five points. He also hit Cleveland's biggest shot with two minutes to go, striking a dagger deep into the heart of Houston.
Sam Merrill steps up big time for Cavs
“To take some of those shots in those pressure moments, being able to knock them down and to be able to drive and finish over a big guy, takes great courage,” Bickerstaff said. “You only see those things in those moments when a guy's number's called in a pressure situation and you see how they respond.”
“He puts in a tremendous amount of work,” Mitchell added when asked about Merrill postgame. “I don't know if he'd like me saying this, but he's like cursing himself out because he's missing one or two in a row. Like, he's that detailed and that focused on his craft.
“To see him have a night like this, especially when we needed it is great. He's that guy and he's gonna continue to be that guy for us.”
Mitchell shared that he's known Merrill since he was still with the Utah Jazz, and Merrill was still playing collegiately at Utah State. Mitchell, Merrill, and fellow Cavs teammate Georges Niang would scrimmage and work together, forming a bond and, for Mitchell, a belief that Merrill could be special in the NBA one day.
“I wish y'all were at practice sometimes,” Mitchell furthered. “It's hard for the red team to get a stop because he's on the floor. This is what he does. This is who he is.”
The red team is typically a mix of Cleveland's starters and key rotation players, while the team Merrill runs with is more of the practice squad, serving as fresh bodies to press the core rotation players in practice. Well, after injuries to Darius Garland and Evan Mobley that sideline them both until 2024, Merrill has now switched sides and shows no signs of going back for the time being.
Curiously enough, Sam Merrill may not have been here if it weren't for the advice of his agent, Kieren Piller. Merrill had to be convinced by Piller to give his NBA dreams another go by going through the NBA G League, despite having more lucrative offers financially waiting for him overseas. Financial security seemed like the stable option for Merrill, who had won an NBA Championship with the Milwaukee Bucks despite seldom playing and was eventually cut by the Sacramento Kings.
Thankfully, for the Cavs' sake, Piller won out, and Merrill started his NBA journey from scratch once again, grinding away at the Wolstein Center with the Cleveland Charge, the NBA G League affiliate of the Cavs.
Fast forward to now and Merrill was the spark Cleveland needed the most to put Houston away for good. More than anything, this showed that this is the guy Merrill is and who he can be when his number is called. He wouldn't have played these overtime minutes if the team had been healthy. But this performance shows he can be another option if the matchup calls for it. With the Utah Jazz coming to town on Wednesday night, there's a good chance Bickerstaff will roll with Merrill again and call on his number when they need him most.
Based on his performance against the Rockets, Merrill showed he's more than ready for the moment.
Follow Us
Subscribe