NBA news: The Cleveland Cavaliers just took home the NBA Summer League title in Las Vegas on Monday night. Rookie Isaiah Mobley led the charge for the Cavs behind a breakout stint in the summer tournament, and it was the 23-year-old who was named the MVP of the championship game after dropping a historic 28-point, 11-rebound double-double in Cleveland’s 99-78 victory over the Houston Rockets.
One could argue, however, that it was Sam Merrill who was the Cavs’ most consistent player throughout the Summer League. The former Milwaukee Bucks guard showcased his abilities throughout Cleveland’s five games in Vegas. Merrill’s effort was recognized by the league as he was named part of the All-Summer League First Team.
NBA News: Cavs’ Sam Merrill Breaks Into All-Summer Leauge First Team
Merrill, who signed with the Cavs towards the end of last season, produced at a high level in the Summer League. In five games played, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard averaged 20.8 points behind a 45-percent shooting clip from distance. In Monday’s title game, he scored 27 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Merrill was deadly from beyond the arc, draining six out of his 12 attempts from distance.
After leading the entire tournament with 25 triples made, Merrill spoke out about his eye-opening stint in the Summer League:
“(I was) just trying to stay confident,” said Merrill, via Dana Greene of ABC 4. “I’ve put in a lot of work and the shots that I’ve made are the shots that I’ve worked on a lot, so for me it’s about staying confident, trying to have some swagger out there and trying to do what I do. There’s going to be nights like last night where I don’t shoot as well, but I feel good if I keep shooting and get the shots that I like that most of them are going to go in.”
NBA News: Did Bucks Pull Plud Too Early On Sam Merrill?
Merrill’s strong performances in the Summer League seem to point to the fact that he should get more opportunities with the Cavs this coming season. Could the former Utah State University be in the midst of a breakout season?
Merrill started off his career with the Bucks when they selected him as the very last pick of the 2020 NBA Draft. He played 30 games in his debut season, averaging just 3.0 points and 1.0 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per contest. He did make 44.7 of his 1.6 attempts from deep, though.
The Bucks decided to trade away Merrill after just one season. They sent him to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Grayson Allen and cash considerations. Considering how well Allen has fit in with Milwaukee, you can’t really blame the squad for opting to offload Merrill at that point. However, if Merrill ends up balling out this season, then there could be some regret on the Bucks’ end.
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