When the Cleveland Cavaliers signed Sam Merrill to a contract extension and let Ty Jerome walk, it raised a lot of eyebrows. It created unnecessary discourse around who they should have let walk in free agency when they could have retained both at the expense of going further over the second apron. Merrill’s 2025-26 season showed why the Cavaliers invested in one of the league’s purest three-point shooters.
All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.
Advertisement
Regular Season Stats
Merrill is arguably one of, if not the most straightforward, grades on this Cavaliers roster. The question boils down to “how well did Merrill shoot the ball in 2025—2026?” The answer to that question is very well.
It was not only that Merrill had his highest three-point percentage since his rookie season, but also that he accomplished this feat while shooting the highest number of attempts from the perimeter in his career.
If one word could describe Merrill’s past season, it is confidence. It takes a certain mindset to blindly fire from the perimeter as Merrill did. There is a sureness with his approach, combined with the ability makes him a one-man wrecking crew to opposing defenses. I’m not saying Merrill was the Cavaliers’ version of Steph Curry, however, the way that his presence can bend a defense is a difference maker alone.
Advertisement
Merrill is an active shooter; he does not sit idle in the corner and wait for the primary ball-handler to generate his looks for him. When Merrill is on the floor, he is arguably the most active player, constantly forcing opposing defenses to keep their eyes on him as much as any star the Cavs have in lineups with him.
What separated Merrill’s 2025-26 season from others is that it felt like the Cavs optimized Merrill as a player. They featured him in a way that previous versions of the team didn’t. This was best shown once the Cavaliers acquired James Harden at the trade deadline.
Harden passed the ball most to Merrill of anyone on the Cavs, averaging nearly 10 passes a game. James Harden and Merrill are an intriguing example of how Merrill’s game is far from just a floor spacer. Their partnership evolved into these convoluted pick-and-roll or pop actions where their basketball IQ would stand out almost instantly.
When players like Harden immediately take note of how dynamic a player Merrill can be, it validates the investment made into Merrill at the beginning of the season. The Cavaliers made the correct choice of extending Merrill and keeping his elite skills in house. As the Cavaliers look forward, it’s safe to say that Merrill will continue to play an integral part of the offense and motion of it.
Grade: A
Read the full article here
