Sam Merrill stepped into an even more critical role for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2025-26 campaign after earning a multiyear contract in the offseason. Tabbed as a sharpshooting threat beyond the arc, there's much more to what he brings to the table for the team.

Merrill's off-ball movement and constant motion in the half-court made him somebody defenses had to pay attention to at every turn. Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson upped his responsibilities as a screener, allowed him the freedom to be a secondary playmaker in the pocket, and encouraged him to put the ball on the floor against closeouts.

Defensively, Merrill held his own despite being smaller at the 3. He put his body on the line to guard, took charges in the restricted area, and made sure to let the opponent know he was there at the very least.

He'd been dealing with a bothersome left wrist injury in the latter half of the regular season, and that carried into the playoffs, but it didn't affect his shot. He was a good soldier for Atkinson and Co., assuming the largest workload of his career to this point.

Merrill was depended on in the postseason as a role player. He had to combat size discrepancies against bigger, taller wings, which saw him exert a bunch of energy on the defensive end. He wasn't quite as successful with his three-point shot offensively, which made it difficult to keep him on the floor for significant run. Max Strus' return also played a factor in that, although both played next to each other in certain units.

Going cold like much of the group in the Eastern Conference Finals, Merrill couldn't find the mark, and his playing time dipped as a result.

Overall, it was an adequate postseason for him and what he was tasked with. It just didn't end the way anybody had hoped.

REGULAR SEASON STATS

12.8 POINTS | 2.6 REBOUNDS | 2.4 ASSISTS | 46.1% FG | 42.1% 3PT | 85.5% FT

PLAYOFF STATS

7.8 POINTS | 1.2 REBOUNDS | 1.1 ASSISTS | 42.7% FG | 37.2% 3PT | 84.0% FT

If Merrill brings what he did during the regular season and the first two rounds of the playoffs, then he'll absolutely have a place with these Cavs.

He had a career year and was empowered to push the threshold on his talents.

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