One of the top storylines for the Cleveland Cavaliers in recent weeks has been how the Wine and Gold have gotten their share of contributions from guys who have suddenly had to play expanded roles.
With the injuries to Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, Donovan Mitchell previously out for a handful of games and even Caris LeVert battling injuries, Cleveland has needed others to step up. Players such as Isaac Okoro, Craig Porter, Jr. and Tristan Thompson (to some degree) all have given the Cavaliers some extra juice with the team in desperate need, and that has aided in Cleveland playing quality basketball. The Cavs are still right in the thick of things in the Eastern Conference playoff race, and it has been inspiring to watch.
As for "other guys" stepping up, do not discount what Sam Merrill has done for the Cavaliers
Merrill made some cameos earlier in the regular season campaign for the Cavaliers, and did flash his deep shooting capabilities, but since, he has made quite the splash. That has helped give the bench more punch, along with other guys like Caris LeVert and Georges Niang making their presence felt.
Regarding Merrill, whose deal for this season was guaranteed as of January 10, his impressive work in recent weeks has been nothing short of astonishing at times. While Merrill did a terrific job as one of the driving forces for the Summer Cavs title team in Las Vegas over the summer and was great with the Cleveland Charge in the G League last year, how he's done for the Cavs lately has taken the fan base by storm.
First, let's dive into the first way Merrill has been a difference-maker for Cleveland's bench.
No. 1: His flamethrowing
When given his chances out there, Merrill has not been bashful. He has not shown even the slightest bit of hesitation from beyond the arc, and it is paying dividends for the Cavaliers when he has meaningful opportunities, of which there have been plenty.
On the campaign, Merrill has connected on 43.7 percent of his 4.9 three-point shot attempts per game, and in his last 11 appearances, he's shot 45.7 percent from three, on an average of 7.4 attempts per game. In that span, he's had 11.7 points per game, to go with averaging 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
On the year, Merrill has had a scorching hot effective field goal shooting clip of 71.4 percent on catch-and-shoot attempts, per NBA.com's shot tracking data. On a frequency of 68.9 percent and with all of those being threes, that's been beyond impressive.
Simply put, Merrill has given the Cavaliers quite a jolt of electricity in recent weeks, and with the injuries they've dealt with, especially to Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, it's been big to have players like Merrill, along with Caris LeVert, help give Cleveland a spark.
In Merrill's bench minutes, he's provided the Cavs with a bench shooter that is never going to pass up perimeter shots, and his movement shooting has given the Cavaliers another big-time threat in that aspect to go with Max Strus, which has made Cleveland more dangerous offensively.
Needless to say, Merrill has been nothing short of a flamethrower in his minutes off the bench, and he's only helping his case moving forward.
No. 2: Helping with ball/man movement, opening up space on the inside
Naturally, the second area where Merrill has made a difference of late has been essentially how his shooting impact has made things easier for his teammates.
When Merrill has been knocking down shots from at times even way downtown, it has put further stress on opposing defenses. In turn, opponents have either started to commit multiple bodies to him coming around screens, or they have shown a slight hesitation if those passes have led to other targets. In addition, as he started to get more opportunities, Merrill has made some critical feeds either as one more passes to shooters when rotators have come to him, or occasional dishes to interior threats who have slipped after screens.
Generally speaking, similarly to Max Strus, Merrill's movement shooting impact and range have definitely helped Cleveland's drivers and interior players such as Jarrett Allen. And that has applied at times with Strus and Merrill on the floor at the same time in some lineups, too. Having two versatile shooters easily coexist has made the offensive flow exponentially better for the Cavs.
The point is that Merrill's constant shooting presence has aided in Cleveland's spacing when he's been out there a great deal, and with his quick shooting, and decision-making, the Cavaliers have consistently had plenty of productive offensive movement when he's been on the floor.
Given his skill set and shooting impact, Merrill has been second among Cavaliers in offensive rating among regular rotation players in Cleveland's last 10 games (of which he's appeared in eight) at 127.0. For players appearing in meaningful action, the Cavs have also had their best true shooting rate at 63.8 percent when Merrill has been on the floor.
Merrill keeps helping his case within Cleveland's rotation, and it's good to know what they have in him as a movement shooter and off-ball presence. He could keep the hot shooting going getting deeper into January as well.