3 Cleveland Cavaliers who must step up after Max Strus injury

2. Sam Merrill

Money Merrill is going to need to be money off the bench for the Cavs even more so now. Strus leaves a huge shooting void that needs to be filled and Merrill is a perfect candidate to fill that void.

Last season, whenever Sam Merrill checked into the game, you knew it was to shoot threes. In about 18 minutes per game last season, Merrill shot six threes per game. He shot 40 percent from three-point range for the year. 

Additionally, of his 394 field-goal attempts last year, 354 of them were three-point attempts. On the year, he attempted 40 two-point shots. His shooting prowess is what earned him minutes in the rotation last year, but with Atkinson wanting to expand the rotation to 10 players, Merrill could have even more opportunities to let it fly.

With Strus out now, more minutes opened up for Merrill and now he has a chance to earn a consistent role in the Cavs rotation. Last season, his role was often inconsistent due to matchups and him getting picked on defensively, but nonetheless Cleveland needs someone to fill the shooting void Strus left and what better way to do that with probably the best floor spacer on the roster.