We're only seven games into the Cleveland Cavaliers season. The Cavs are currently 4-3 and have nice wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and a dominant win vs. the Milwaukee Bucks.
But they also had three frustrating early-season losses, including Monday night's loss to the short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder.
A few issues that have been glaring in the team's losses so far. Between defensive rebounding, streaky shooting, and experimenting with rotations, the Cavaliers are trying to find their identity for the 2026-27 NBA season. But one concern going into this season was the team's depth.
Cleveland had significant turnover from last season, losing players such as Dean Wade, Max Strus, and Keon Ellis. With those losses, they have turned to returning players like Jaylon Tyson and Tyrese Proctor while also adding talents like Mario Hezonja . One player they were relying on was Sam Merrill.
Merrill profiles as a movement-based, shooting, defensive-minded player who isn't the most athletic but is a reliable contributor. So far this season, the Cavaliers haven't seen the Sam Merrill they expected.
Merrill is a career 39% three-point shooter; so far this season, he is shooting 32% from the perimeter on an average of 5.3 attempts per game. While he is averaging his second-highest points-per-game of his career, the efficiency hasn't been where Kenny Atkinson needs it to be. On Monday night, Merrill got an opportunity to tie the game that he should be trusted with, but the shot didn't fall, leading to the Cavs' loss. Those things will happen, but it magnifies the issues we have seen so far.
Merrill's effective field-goal percentage is down as well. In the 2026 season, he had a .624 efg%; so far this season, .532.
Opposing offenses have hunted Merrill when he is on the floor. Currently, Merrill has a 116 defensive rating, tied for the third-highest in his career, and his defensive box plus/minus sits at -0.7. Merrill has had a plus rating once in his career, but last year, he was -1.0 for the season, so he's already approaching last year's defensive season.
There's still plenty of time for him to get back on track, but the sooner the Cavs find answers , the better.
It's not all bad for Sam. His effort hasn't lacked, and so far he's having the best rebounding season of his career, averaging three rebounds per game.
As a playmaker, Merrill is having one of his better passing seasons as well, averaging 2.3 assists per game, just behind last season when he averaged 2.4. He's still an elite free-throw shooter, sitting at 90%; although he doesn't get to the line a lot, he makes it count when he does.
It's easy to wonder if health is playing a part. He missed the final pre-season game with elbow soreness and battled a hand injury for much of last season. Regardless, if the Cavaliers want to achieve the goals they set for themselves, Sam Merrill will play a part in their success.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/cavaliers/onsi as The Cleveland Cavaliers Need This Sharpshooter to Find his Shot Again Immediately .
