Did anyone see Sam Merrill stepping up as the hero of Game 7?
The very best playoff games are when the stars all come out to play, but some of the most memorable belong to the role players. The James Posey game, or the Bismack Biyombo rebounding domination, or the Shane Battier game.
The Cleveland Cavaliers had one of their own in Game 7 on Sunday night. On the road against the No. 1 seed, the Cavs looked like clear favorites. With James Harden seemingly a lock to play poorly since it was a Game 7 (that proved true, as he was only 2-for-10), would the Cavs have a role player step up?
It was the Sam Merrill game
They sure did - and it was the player no one expected. Our very own Caleb Crowley thought Merrill was worth benching to give more minutes to Max Strus and Dean Wade.
Sam Merrill proceeded to score 23 points, hitting seven of his 10 shots from the field and nailing five 3-pointers. He was also active on defense, with a steal, a charge drawn and multiple sequences where he stood up Detroit dribblers. He keyed a two-way effort that dropped the Detroit Pistons 125-94.
He was unconscious from deep, even pulling off a 4-point play at one point. He was lethal from the corners, side-stepping closeouts as Detroit got increasingly desperate defensively. It's hard to have a better game as a gunner off the bench than what Merrill pulled off in Game 7.
That most shocking part? Just 10 months ago, no one wanted Merrill but the Cavaliers.
No one wanted Sam Merrill
Mr. Irrelevant in the 2020 NBA Draft, the 60th pick played a single season with both Milwaukee and Memphis before making his way to the Cavaliers in 2022.
After one season spent in the G League, Merrill began clawing his way into the rotation. He played in 61 games at 17.5 minutes per contest; that increased to 71 games at 19.7 minutes per game. Finally, he played in 52 games, including 38 starts, and played 26.5 minutes per game this past season.
The only reason why Merrill is around to play for the Cavaliers is that no one wanted to offer him a strong contract offer to leave Cleveland. They were hard-pressed to offer him a substantial contract given their second tax apron concerns.
Merrill is on a bargain deal
What they did instead was offer him a modest four-year deal and dare him to find a better option on the open market. When such a deal didn't materialize, he stayed with the Cavaliers on a contract due only $46 million over four years.
Plenty of wings got big deals in free agency. Nickeil Alexander-Walker signed for twice what Merrill did. So did Duncan Robinson, reduced to meaningless minutes for Detroit in Game 7. Luke Kennard is making $11 million. Davion Mitchell $12. Caris LeVert $14.5.
Merrill made only $8.5 million this season, and will average $9.5 over the life of the contract. It's an absolute steal for a player who can shoot off movement, attack closeouts, and hold up on defense. It could be one of the very best contracts in the NBA in a couple of years.
Many teams with greater financial flexibility could have swooped in and signed Merrill to a larger contract. No one did. That allowed the Cavaliers to bring him back, empower him into a larger role, and let his talent speak for itself.
No one wanted him. Now everyone knows his names.
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