The most important player on the Cleveland Cavaliers next season might come off the bench.
To be certain, the team's best player will be either Donovan Mitchell (the odds-on favorite) or Evan Mobley, if the young big can take another step forward. James Harden played at a near All-Star level last season and has a proven track record. Jarrett Allen remains criminally underrated as a two-way center. The newly-acquired Peyton Watson has plenty of upside to continue growing into a force of nature.
All of those players are likely better, but not more important, than the team's last remaining deadeye shooter: Sam Merrill.
The Cavaliers have lost some players
Two seasons ago, the Cleveland Cavaliers won 64 games and tore through the league on offense like a hot knife through butter. Kenny Atkinson came to town and instituted a new offense that fit the team's personnel like a glove. They were unstoppable -- until, of course, they were stopped by the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the playoffs.
The player drain over the last two seasons is putting that status in jeopardy. Ty Jerome is gone and playing for the Memphis Grizzlies after a career year in Atkinson's system. Caris LeVert and Georges Niang were traded and have played for multiple teams since. Darius Garland has been swapped out for James Harden, a very different kind of offensive weapon.
This summer, to open up the financial space to add Peyton Watson, the team traded away movement shooter Max Strus. Add in willing shooters Dean Wade and Keon Ellis now in new places, and previous to them DeAndre Hunter not working out, and the roster has changed in multiple ways.
The loss of Strus in particular is a challenge to Atkinson and the offensive coaching staff. The NBA is always evolving, and the Cavaliers will evolve with them, but losing the impact of Strus as a high-volume movement shooter will hurt the offense.
Enter Sam Merrill.
Sam Merrill is now a critical player
Sam Merrill has developed into a legitimate two-way wing, an unconscious gunner from deep with some decent playmaking skills and enough motor and instincts to compete on defense. Even if fans don't realize the quality of player Merrill has become, the other 29 coaching staffs certainly do.
In four years in Cleveland, Merrill has shot 10.3 triples per 36 minutes at 39.7 percent. Last season, with Jerome gone and multiple injuries hitting Cleveland in waves, Merrill began expanding his game on offense -- but he remains a lethal shooter. He hit 42.1 percent from deep last year.
Merrill can put pressure on opposing defenses because of his speed racing off the ball. Defenses trying to clamp down on Mitchell and Harden, and keep Mobley and Allen off the rim, are stretched thin trying to also keep up with Merrill. That is the value of movement shooters.
Often that type of player is a defensive liability, but Merrill is average at worst on that end. He is strong and knows where to be, making up for his lack of length and athleticism.
No one else on the roster can give this impact. Garland was a lethal off-ball mover and shooter, but Harden does nothing at speed but draw fouls. Jerome is gone. Most crucially, Max Strus is gone.
The remaining rotation players are not doing what Merrill is doing. He will need to play a significant role, and he will need to be both accurate and consistent in shooting from deep.
The best player on the team? Sam Merrill is not. The most important? He just might be, as he is truly irreplaceable in a way no other player is.
No pressure, Sam.
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