While unofficial until the starting lineups are announced, all signs are pointing to the Cleveland Cavaliers getting Darius Garland back for his season debut on Wednesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. But for as big a boost that Garland's return will give them, the Cavs may also have Sam Merrill come back, too.
Merrill, along with Garland (left toe), Jarrett Allen (left finger fracture), and De'Andre Hunter (illness), is listed as questionable with a right hip contusion. Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson has labeled it a hip pointer, which occurred in the first half of the team's blowout win in Detroit on Oct. 27. The injury, resulting from a collision with Evan Mobley, has sidelined Merrill for over a week of action.
Atkinson revealed Tuesday that Merrill went through a full practice: “With him, the only [negative] is getting hit, right? He's moving really well. Feels fine. The fear is he gets hit, so we've got to work through that, what that looks like.
“Obviously, there's a pain tolerance. I would assume there'll be padding, that whole thing. But the great news is, without contact, he feels really good.”
Before the setback, Merrill was off to a torrid start. He's averaging a career-high 17.3 points per game on 52.5% from the field and a ridiculous 51.4% from 3-point range on nearly nine attempts per game.
Merrill is one of 15 players in the league who have made over half of their perimeter shots. Shrinking that down to those with at least 30 tries, only Washington Wizards sophomore Kyshawn George (53.8%) and Milwaukee Bucks sharpshooter A.J. Green (52.9%) sport a better 3-point percentage than Merrill.
Though the Cavs understand the spacing he brings as a threat from the outside, they've also missed his off-ball chaos and defensive effort in the last three games. Advanced metrics on Cleaning The Glass suggest that Merrill has improved Cleveland by 20.4 points per 100 possessions on the court. When he's sitting, the wine and gold's net rating plummets by 29.0.
“Guy has probably been our best player over the first three games,” Atkinson said after the Cavs' win over the Milwaukee Bucks on the night before he got hurt. “He just causes havoc,” Donovan Mitchell added.
There's a reason that Cleveland's locker room has sung Merrill's praises since the beginning of training camp. The proof is in the pudding.
Hopefully, this bothersome hip won't hold Merrill back from being himself the way he has been in the first four games he's suited up in.
