Sam Merrill
Cleveland Cavaliers guardWikipedia
249
MENTIONS
114
EPISODES
69
PODCASTS
Search complete. 249 mentions across 114 episodes found for "Sam Merrill".
Sep 16, 2026
Ethan SandsHOST
But I also don't think they need to wring every possible minute out of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden in October and November because of what that could do against them- Long term.
Ethan SandsHOST
And that's where guys like Peyton Watson, Jaylen Tyson, Evan Mobley, and even Sam Merrill become extremely important this season.
Ethan SandsHOST
I expect the Cleveland Cavaliers to try to keep Donovan Mitchell and James Harden somewhere around 28 to 34-minute range for much of the regular season, minutes per game that is, while giving these younger players more responsibility both offensively and defensively.
Ethan SandsHOST
And that's not the traditional load management that we've seen throughout the NBA where some guys are just getting rests on certain nights.
Ethan SandsHOST
He has to have more confidence.
Ethan SandsHOST
He has to be able to be a secondary creator as well with the ball in his hands and, like I said, not simply finishing somebody else's actions, but creating his own for himself, having the go-to move, being able to find a way to make things happen for himself.
Ethan SandsHOST
And again, as I mentioned, Sam Merrill is basically your go-to shooting guard, especially after Max Strus is no longer on this roster.
Ethan SandsHOST
So after Donovan Mitchell comes off the floor, Sam Merrill is going to plug and play in this role as well.
Zach LoweHOST
And then, like, if that lineup is in great shakes, you mentioned the bench.
Zach LoweHOST
Like, does Sam Merrill have to play more just as someone who really will shoot and doesn't need the ball, and can he play with Mitchell and Harden, and can the team survive on defense? Um, Jalen Tyson to me is one of the big X factors in the league.
Zach LoweHOST
I, I, I was kind of really-
Michael PinaGUEST
Yeah
Ethan ClaytonHOST
background you know because he that's how he was able to break in to the NBA that's how he got his first job with Brooklyn that's how he was able to be an assistant for Ty Lue and Steve Kerr and he his thing is growing young players and helping them turn into something and for the Cavs yes they have done that over the last couple years with Kenny Atkinson You know, you saw guys like Jalen Tyson really grow.
Ethan ClaytonHOST
You saw Sam Merrill really take a huge step.
Ethan ClaytonHOST
Evan Mobley had the best year of his career in 2025.
Ethan ClaytonHOST
So, yes, you have seen that growth, and you also have guys like Naquan Tomlin who looked like a rotation-level player last year, Craig Porter Jr. as well.
Matt GeistHOST
And that's going to continue to happen as long as Jared Allen is there.
Matt GeistHOST
They're obviously still high on Sam Merrill.
Matt GeistHOST
They opted not to trade him this offseason.
Matt GeistHOST
They still have Jalen Tyson going into year number three.
Gavin SchallHOST
I think it was inflated by a Sixers team that was, like, the walking dead, w- like, at the start of that series.
Gavin SchallHOST
A Cavs team where a guy like Sam Merrill, who never seems to miss a shot, couldn't seem to make a shot.
Gavin SchallHOST
And Landry Shamet, who's a good shooter, turned into just Steph Curry for, like, two weeks.
Gavin SchallHOST
Um, so there were, there were elements, like, where when you look back and you say the Knicks had the greatest net rating in the history of the NBA playoffs, uh, which is true, and I'm like, okay, they probably were not, like, the most talented champion in NBA history, but-
Ethan ClaytonHOST
Because the reason they brought in Kenny Atkinson, yes, obviously he's a massive offensive upgrade over J.B. Bickerstaff, but they also brought him in because he has a strong player development background.
Ethan ClaytonHOST
background you know because he that's how he was able to break in to the NBA that's how he got his first job with Brooklyn that's how he was able to be an assistant for Ty Lue and Steve Kerr and he his thing is growing young players and helping them turn into something and for the Cavs yes they have done that over the last couple years with Kenny Atkinson you know you saw guys like Jalen Tyson really grow you saw Sam Merrill really take a huge step Evan Mobley had the best year of his career in 2025 So, yes, you have seen that growth, and you also have guys like Naquan Tomlin who looked like a rotation-level player last year, Craig Porter Jr. as well.
Ethan ClaytonHOST
But now this year, it really does feel like the Cavs believe in that internal growth and in that player development program because they kept saying it, but I think this year is the first time where they're actually truly going to believe in it because they are making a massive bet on these young guys.
Ethan ClaytonHOST
Let's just call it what it is.
Mike GallagherHOST
Bye.
Mike GallagherHOST
what's up you guys welcome to episode 554 of the established run nba podcast i'm mike gallagher here with sam jeffrania and drew digmeyer to talk about the atlantic division in the nba there is a lot of moving parts in this division with star players so we will talk about it all and even the bad play a bad team let's talk about the nets for sure sam back from cali how's it going
Saum JafaraniaHOST
i'm great yeah excited to keep this series rolling
Mike GallagherHOST
Yeah, it should be a fun division.
21 MINS LATER
Mike GallagherHOST
We have a massive, massive use of projection.
Mike GallagherHOST
We're just overall macros on how losing Jalen Brown and adding Mitchell Robinson affects this rotation.
Drew DinkmeyerHOST
Yeah, I mean, one of the things that we do have a lot of sample on for the Celtics is the Jays playing without one another because they've played together for so long.
Drew DinkmeyerHOST
The pieces around them have rotated a little bit, but it's generally been more modest usage pieces around them.
Paul WilliamsHOST
He's 27th overall at plus 6,000 odds.
Paul WilliamsHOST
Sam Merrill also at plus 6,000 odds.
Paul WilliamsHOST
That's an award that the front runners for that award are Dylan Harper, A.J. Mis- Mitchell, Anfernee Simons.
Paul WilliamsHOST
So again, an award I could see if the Cavs have a good regular season and Tyson takes another step, there could be some value in that bet.
Adam KingHOST
So I don't mind taking a flyer on him with a last round pick, uh, as well.
Adam KingHOST
All right, the next player, not as diverse when it comes to his overall fantasy skill set, and that is Sam Merrill from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Adam KingHOST
Uh, last season had some really good stretches for them, and unfortunately had a wrist injury.
Adam KingHOST
I think maybe, maybe it was an injury that occurred twice or, or just a flare-up of the same injury.
Adam KingHOST
Uh, he's good from the line, 85%.
Adam KingHOST
Coming into this season, I know they've added, um, [lip smack] Peyton Watson, so their starting five is pretty set.
Adam KingHOST
But they lost Max Strus, and I think both he and Sam Merrill were, were kind of the same or very similar player or are a very similar player.
Adam KingHOST
With him gone, um, [lip smack] Dennis Schroder is gone.
Matt MooreHOST
I think it's how he wins, too.
Wes GoldbergHOST
Like, is he winning it as the primary initiator of that Cavs offense, or is he sort of, is he winning it riding the coattails of Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley and Sam Merrill?
Matt MooreHOST
I think he can ride the coattails while also, like as long as you don't have a bad series and it's not like everybody's like-
Wes GoldbergHOST
Mm-hmm
104 more episodes mention Sam Merrill.
Create an account to see the whole feed, search across every transcript, and follow the entities you care about.