Cleveland Cavaliers

Sam Merrill

What changed

Last season (2025-26)

TS%-6.5 ptsPartly real

Merrill's TS% is down 6.5 points over his last 25 games of the season (61.0% vs 67.5%). Most of it is shot-making: his TS% was 4.6 points above what his shot spots predict (11.4 points above before), with Darius Garland gone. Partly real: about 55% should hold.

More changes on CLE

Scouting report

2025-26 regular season · 52 games

Floor spacerCompared with 176 guards averaging 15+ minutes

Strengths

Finishes at the rim77.8% in the restricted area, 99th percentile among guards.
Efficient scorer64.4% true shooting, 97th percentile among guards.
High-volume shooter77.5% of shots are threes, 97th percentile among guards.

Weaknesses

Few blocks0.2 blocks per 36 minutes, 10th percentile among guards.
Light on the glassGrabs 5.4% of available rebounds, 13th percentile among guards.
Few steals0.9 steals per 36 minutes, 14th percentile among guards.

Percentiles vs guards

Points per 365517.4 points per 36 minutes, 55th percentile
True shooting %9764.4% true shooting, 97th percentile
3-point attempt rate9777.5% of shots are threes, 97th percentile
3-point %9542.1% from three, 95th percentile
Free throw rate260.122 free throws made per shot, 26th percentile
Assist %27assists on 12.1% of teammate baskets while on the floor, 27th percentile
Ball security (TOV%)957.5% turnover rate, 95th percentile
Rebound %13grabs 5.4% of available rebounds, 13th percentile
Steals per 36140.9 steals per 36 minutes, 14th percentile
Blocks per 36100.2 blocks per 36 minutes, 10th percentile
Usage %31uses 17.2% of team plays, 31st percentile

Shot profile Shot chart →

Shots at the rim 11.2%1211.2% of shots in the restricted area, 12th percentile
FG% at the rim 77.8%9977.8% in the restricted area, 99th percentile
Midrange shots 5.4%275.4% of shots from midrange, 27th percentile
Midrange FG% 42.3%-Not enough shots
Corner 3s 13.6%6313.6% of shots are corner 3s, 63rd percentile
Corner 3 FG% 53.0%9653.0% on corner 3s, 96th percentile

FG% percentiles need 50+ shots in that zone. Shares are shown for context and aren't weaknesses on their own.

Day-To-DayMerrill will be held out of Cleveland's preseason finale due to right elbow soreness. The 30-year-old sharpshooter's next opportunity to play will come in the Cavaliers' regular-season opener against Philadelphia on Thursday, Oct. 22. Expected back: 2026-10-22.

2025-26 season

52 games · CLE

Points: 12.8
Rebounds: 2.6
Assists: 2.4
True shooting %: 64.4
Usage %: 17.2
Plus-minus: +4.7

Averages

Updated 11:47 PM ET

Season	Team	GP	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	FG%	3P%	FT%
2025-26	CLE	52	26.4	12.8	2.6	2.4	0.6	0.1	0.8	46.1	42.1	85.5
2025-26 playoffs	CLE	17	19.9	7.8	1.2	1.1	0.5	0.0	0.5	42.7	37.2	84.0

Advanced

Computed by Courtside

Season	TS%	eFG%	USG%	AST%	REB%	TOV%	PTS/36	GmSc	+/-
2025-26	64.4	62.4	17.2	12.1	5.4	7.5	17.4	9.5	+4.7
2025-26 playoffs	61.7	57.8	15.2	8.7	3.7	7.8	14.1	5.0	+0.3

Built from box scores with Basketball-Reference formulas. Possession-based numbers can differ slightly from NBA.com. What these mean

Last 10 games

Date	Opponent	Result	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	FG	3P	FT	+/-
Mon, May 25	vs NYK	L 93-130	18	5	1	1	2-4	1-2	0-0	-13
Sat, May 23	vs NYK	L 108-121	23	6	3	1	2-5	2-4	0-0	-1
Thu, May 21	@ NYK	L 93-109	23	4	0	0	1-8	0-7	2-4	-8
Tue, May 19	@ NYK	L 104-115	28	12	1	2	4-9	3-8	1-1	-17
Sun, May 17	@ DET	W 125-94	25	23	1	2	7-10	5-8	4-4	+22
Fri, May 15	vs DET	L 94-115	21	10	1	1	3-6	2-5	2-2	-10
Wed, May 13	@ DET	W 117-113	21	6	0	1	2-5	2-5	0-0	-7
Mon, May 11	vs DET	W 112-103	16	6	1	2	2-8	2-7	0-0	+6
Sat, May 9	vs DET	W 116-109	14	7	0	0	2-4	1-3	2-2	+4
Tue, May 5	@ DET	L 101-111	7	0	0	1	0-0	0-0	0-0	-10

Bio

Team: Cavaliers
Position: G
Jersey: #5
Height: 6-4
Weight: 195 lb
College: Utah State
Country: USA
Draft: 2020, round 2, pick 60