The NBA’s next Klay Thompson – Sam Merrill, Cleveland Cavaliers

The NBA’s next Klay Thompson – Sam Merrill, Cleveland Cavaliers

The that’s short hard rebound ricochets out the Merill for three again they’ve got Sam Merill matched his career high with eight three-pointers last night six of them coming in Rapid succession during the first half showing Orlando why he is the league leader in three-pointers per 100 possessions by a

Wide margin only moments after checking into the game merro promptly knocked down a corner three pointer he’d sent home two more from the corner all before the half was over with Merill shooting 58% from this spot on the season throughout the night Merill forced Orlando to chase him around like a dog

The pass on this first action is too high for him to shoot so they run it again and this is all the daylight Merill needs to let it fly here it is one more time but no this isn’t a replay it’s Merrill’s fifth three-pointer in just 9 Minutes of being on the

Floor so it seems Sam Merill is fitting right where he belongs the Cleveland Cavaliers have come to rely on his Marksmanship off of the bench but what will it take for him to stay in the lineup once the team is at full strength anyone who watched Sam Merill before his

Breakout could see one thing this dude can flat outshoot the ball off the marrow marrow fires hey knocks it down baby he’s done so proficiently at every level of the game from college to the G league and now the pros the doors finally flew open when Cleveland’s desperate need for shooting matched

Their need for reserves after injuries wiped them of their usual rotation opportunity called and Sam Merill answered in the first two games after Darius Garland’s injury Merill shot a combined 13 of 24 from downtown for 46 points in just 54 minutes he’s become one of the League’s most Surefire Sharpshooters banging home

Three-pointers at a higher percentage than Stephen Curry if Merill is on the court shots are going up his willingness to shoot and shoot it well has made Merill the type of player that modern basketball teams are starving for a motion sniper who can pop accurate shots

Off in a hurry I know this video is comparing him to Klay Thompson so I’ll apologize up front for the clickbait because if Merill is anybody it’s a Reincarnation of Kyle corver but sorry to corver his name just isn’t good enough for SEO purposes and well I’ve never forgiven him for missing

That shot in game three kicks it out corver Corner three can’t get it the full rebound Durant Jokes Aside Merl’s ability to shoot on the go is truly unique corver was one of the best to ever do it and in all seriousness Merrill’s technique is

On par with the best of them I mean just look at these two plays and achilles would certainly not be what you would want corver drills miles Garett man the boys took care of business across the street today a great game but now that the initial shock of

Merrill’s arrival is over he’s learning that survival in the NBA means learning how to adapt Merill has proven he can swim but just how far can he ride this wave becoming more than just a three-point shooter is the difference between being the occasional onetick Pony and a long-term rotational piece

Another Cavalier Max stru has taken this lesson to heart and might provide an ideal blueprint to follow over the years Shu has polished his game as a playmaker and bought in defensively to become a well-rounded player on both sides of the ball Merill should look to follow his

Counterpart and in some ways he already has Merill uses his off ball gravity to open the floor for Cleveland and he’s also starting to attack Closeouts and cause defensive breakdowns with his dribble check out some of these drives where Merill has the advantage of beating Defenders who are selling out to

Contest his potential three-point shot down behind the play the Cavs have numbers neang finds the open man it’s Merill Merill gets right off the line goes to Allen here he beats a scrambling Defender draws in The Help defense and opens George neang for a triple Merill might not be an interior

Scoring threat but collapsing the defense is as simple as getting the ball into the paint regardless of your finishing ability ities the defense is overplaying him here so he cuts back door and gets a free touch in the paint causing a collapse and this is another assist developing as a playmaker is

Something Merill should strive for this laser beam to the opposite corner shows he can do it on the defensive end mer will always be disadvantaged he’s not a particularly gifted athlete and he doesn’t have the size to make up for it Merill won’t offer much resistance at the point of

Attack and he’s vulnerable fighting through screens attention to detail and hard work are the only avenues for Merill to be a positive or even neutral contributor on defense but Merrill’s positional awareness could be his saving grace even in the G League errl showed he could stay out of trouble by being in

The right place or rather not being in the wrong place at the wrong time Cavaliers rounded up an 80 run they look for more Barrow knocked it away from white to the basket he puts it up and air against Atlanta Merill worked hard to avoid being Trey Young’s Target in

This play he does a fine job jumping out on the screen to help contain young while aoro turns up with a steel on another play Merl fights over a screen to deliver a quality contest on the jump shot small moments like this make a big difference because defense is 90% %

Effort and if Merl refuses to be easily picked on most teams won’t bother draining the shot clock just to go at him Merrill’s positional awareness is best on display when he is drawing offensive fouls Merill leads the Cavaliers and charges drawn despite playing just the 13th most minutes on

The roster Chris passes get a good shot ran over Merill again and that’s the second one that Merill has picked up here early in this second quarter so shooting the ball is Merl’s most valuable asset developing as a passer and exerting himself defensively are the next steps towards cementing himself as

A nightly player but what parts of this journey are out of Merl’s control Merill will only have a marginal opening for minutes once the cabs are healthy the starting Trio of Garland Mitchell and stru will eat a massive chunk of the available backourt minutes this leaves Merill to compete with Levert and auro

For the remainder the good good news however is Merill skill set lends him to fit any lineup his ability to play without the ball and space the floor makes him useful no matter who else is out there offensively speaking Merill is a better fit next to one of Garland or Mitchell

Than any other bench player because his ability to catch turn and fire all in one Motion makes him the grease to Cleveland’s offensive Wheels simply being on the floor generates more movement and potential defensive breakdowns like on this play where Merill attracts the attention of three Jazz Defenders just by catching the

Ball defensive concerns remain we don’t know if the myth of Merl can translate to playoff basketball until the Cavaliers have a larger sample of opponents who are hellbent on exposing him defensively he may have to take a back seat to players like Levert and aoro once the chips are all on the table

But for now Merl has proven he belongs on an NBA roster and in time he might prove even more just like that that’s a long rebound opportunity you got to get that good job by Sam we need Today

Sam Merrill is becoming more of a legend each day. Here is an inside look into his breakout season with the Cleveland Cavaliers and how he can ride this wave even further.

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