Sam Merrill

{{Not to be confused with|Sam Merrill Trail|text=Sam Merrill Trail}}

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Sam Merrill

| image = Sam Merrill (cropped).jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Merrill in 2023

| position = Shooting guard

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 4

| weight_lbs = 205

| league = NBA

| team = Cleveland Cavaliers

| number = 5

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1996|5|15}}

| birth_place = Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.

| high_school = Bountiful (Bountiful, Utah)

| college = Utah State (2016–2020)

| draft_year = 2020

| draft_round = 2

| draft_pick = 60

| draft_team = New Orleans Pelicans

| career_start = 2020

| years1 = {{nbay|2020|full=y}}

| team1 = Milwaukee Bucks

| years2 = 2021

| team2 = →Memphis Hustle

| years3 = {{nbay|2021|full=y}}

| team3 = Memphis Grizzlies

| years4 = 2021

| team4 = →Memphis Hustle

| years5 = 2022–2023

| team5 = Cleveland Charge

| years6 = {{nbay|2022|end}}–present

| team6 = Cleveland Cavaliers

| highlights = * NBA champion (2021)

AP Honorable Mention All-American (2019)
Mountain West Player of the Year (2019)
2× First-team All-Mountain West (2019, 2020)
Third-team All-Mountain West (2018)
2× Mountain West tournament MVP (2019, 2020)

}}Samuel Hoskins Merrill (born May 15, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed “Sammy Buckets,” he was drafted with the last pick of the 2020 NBA draft and acquired by the Milwaukee Bucks, with whom he won an NBA championship. He played college basketball for the Utah State Aggies.

Early life

Merrill is the son of John and Jenny Merrill and has an older sister, Molli. He grew up in Bountiful, Utah and attended Bountiful High School. He became a starter as a sophomore at the midpoint in the season and averaged 6.5 points per game and 2.6 assists. As a junior, Merrill averaged 18.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.2 steals per game and was named first-team all-state by the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune. He posted 15.8 points, 7.4 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per game as a senior and led Bountiful to a 4A state title. Merrill was recruited by Stanford and Princeton but committed to USU.{{cite news |last=Emerson |first=Taylor |title=The fulfillment of a dream: Sam Merrill's journey to Utah State |url=https://usustatesman.com/fulfillment-dream-sam-merrills-journey-utah-state/ |access-date=April 4, 2019 |work=The Utah Statesman |date=February 17, 2017}}

College career

Merrill went on a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Nicaragua before his freshman year at Utah State University. When he returned, head coach Stew Morrill retired and was replaced by Tim Duryea.{{cite news |last=Carr |first=Patrick |title=Bountiful alum Sam Merrill adjusts to being Utah State basketball's focal point |url=https://www.standard.net/sports/utah-state/bountiful-alum-sam-merrill-adjusts-to-being-utah-state-basketball/article_06670152-89d3-51b6-9978-c736477bc85a.html |access-date=April 4, 2019 |work=The Standard-Examiner |date=December 15, 2018}} Merrill posted 9.4 points per game as a freshman.

In his sophomore season, Merrill averaged 16.3 points per game for the Aggies.{{cite news |last=Hunter |first=Jeff |title='Sam's a warrior': Utah State's Merrill wins Mountain West POY, continues to elevate play for co-champion Aggies |url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900060062/sams-a-warrior-utah-states-merrill-wins-mountain-west-poy-continues-to-elevate-play-for-co-champion-aggies.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190313080117/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900060062/sams-a-warrior-utah-states-merrill-wins-mountain-west-poy-continues-to-elevate-play-for-co-champion-aggies.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 13, 2019 |access-date=April 4, 2019 |work=Deseret News |date=March 12, 2019}} He was named Third-team All-Mountain West Conference (MWC). Merrill married soccer player Kanyan Ward in May 2018.

As a junior, Merrill averaged 20.9 points, 4.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game. He shot 46.1 percent from the floor, 37.6 percent from behind the three-point line, and 90.9 percent from the free throw line. Merrill led USU to a Mountain West tournament championship, securing the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. He was named the MWC Player of the Year and tournament MVP, as well as AP Honorable Mention All-American.{{cite news |last=Carr |first=Patrick |title=Sam Merrill, Bountiful alum, named AP honorable mention All-American |url=https://www.standard.net/sports/utah-state/sam-merrill-bountiful-alum-named-ap-honorable-mention-all-american/article_34e575e6-2194-5f67-8b9a-d633c7c68a87.html |access-date=April 4, 2019 |work=The Standard-Examiner |date=April 2, 2019}} Merrill had a career-high 38 points on March 5, 2019, in a 100–96 overtime victory over Colorado State University (CSU).

File:Sam Merrill takes shot in last game as a college athlete at home.jpg

In the season opener of his senior year, Merrill had 28 points to help USU defeat Montana State 81–73.{{cite news |title=Merrill scores 28, No. 17 Utah State beats Montana State |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401166408 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191106114736/https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401166408 |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 6, 2019 |access-date=November 12, 2019 |work=ESPN |agency=Associated Press |date=November 6, 2019}} On February 11, versus CSU, Merrill eclipsed the 2,000-point mark for his career and passed Wayne Estes for third on USU's all-time scoring list.{{cite news|last=Allen|first=Trevor|title=Sam Merrill Reaches 2,000 Points, Moves Up Utah State's Career Scoring List|url=https://kslsports.com/428368/sam-merrill-reaches-2000-points-moves-up-utah-states-career-scoring-list/|access-date=February 12, 2020 |work=kslsports.com|date=February 11, 2020}} He finished with 32 points and five assists in a 75–72 win.{{cite news |title=Sam Merrill scores 32 to lift Utah State over Colorado State 75–72 |url=https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/2/12/21134554/sam-merrill-utah-state-75-72-win-colorado-state |access-date=February 13, 2020 |work=Deseret News |agency=Associated Press |date=February 12, 2020}} At the conclusion of the regular season, Merrill was named First Team All-MWC.{{cite press release|url=https://themw.com/news/2020/3/3/mountain-west-announces-2019-20-mens-basketball-all-conference-team.aspx |title=Mountain West Announces 2019-20 Men's Basketball All-Conference Team |publisher=Mountain West Conference |date=March 3, 2020 |access-date=March 3, 2020}} Merrill led USU to another MWC tournament championship, securing the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, and was named MWC tournament MVP. The tournament was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic soon after his final game, where he scored 27 points in a 59–56 upset of San Diego State in the tournament final and hit the game-winning three-pointer with 2.5 seconds remaining.{{cite news |title=Utah State earns NCAA tournament berth by stunning SDSU for Mountain West title |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401211058 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200308040233/https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401211058 |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 8, 2020 |access-date=March 8, 2020 |work=ESPN |agency=Associated Press |date=March 7, 2020}}

Professional career

= Milwaukee Bucks (2020–2021) =

On November 18, 2020, Merrill was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans as the final pick of the 2020 NBA draft.

On November 24, Merrill was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of a four-team trade involving the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets.{{cite web|url=https://www.nba.com/bucks/news/milwaukee-bucks-acquire-jrue-holiday-new-orleans-pelicans-part-four-team-deal|title=Milwaukee Bucks Acquire Jrue Holiday From The New Orleans Pelicans As Part Of Four-Team Deal|work=NBA.com|date=November 24, 2020}} He was assigned to the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G League to start the G League season, making his Hustle debut on February 10, 2021. In the regular season he played in 30 games for the Bucks and started two while averaging 3.0 points and 1.0 rebound, and shot 44.7% from three, in 7.8 minutes per game.{{Cite web|title=Sam Merrill Stats|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/merrisa01.html|access-date=2022-02-11|website=Basketball-Reference.com|language=en}} On the Bucks playoff run, Merrill appeared in 8 games, averaging 3.8 minutes and 0.6 points and rebounds per game. Merrill ended his rookie season as an NBA champion when the Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns in 6 games in the 2021 NBA Finals.

= Memphis Grizzlies (2021–2022) =

On August 7, 2021, Merrill was traded, along with two future second-round picks, to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Grayson Allen.{{cite web|title=Grizzlies acquire Sam Merrill and two future second round picks from Bucks|url=https://www.nba.com/grizzlies/news/grizzlies-acquire-sam-merrill-and-two-future-second-round-picks-from-bucks-210807|website=NBA.com|date=August 7, 2021|access-date=August 7, 2021}} On January 1, 2022, he was waived.{{Cite web |last=Kaplan |first=Phil |date=January 1, 2022 |title=Memphis Grizzlies sign forward Killian Tillie to a two-year contract, waive Sam Merrill |url=https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/nba/grizzlies/2022/01/01/memphis-grizzlies-sign-forward-killian-tillie-two-year-contract-waive-sam-merrill/9069904002/ |access-date=January 1, 2022 |website=The Commercial Appeal}} Merrill averaged 4.2 points and 1.2 rebounds per game in 6 games for the Grizzlies.

=Cleveland Charge (2022–2023)=

On August 13, 2022, Merrill signed with the Sacramento Kings.{{Cite web |date=2022-08-13 |title=Kings sign free agent shooting guard Sam Merrill |url=https://www.sactownroyalty.com/platform/amp/2022/8/13/23304404/nba-free-agency-kings-sign-sam-merrill-report-news |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922194809/https://www.sactownroyalty.com/platform/amp/2022/8/13/23304404/nba-free-agency-kings-sign-sam-merrill-report-news |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 22, 2022 |website=sactownroyalty.com}} He was waived prior to the start of the season.

On October 24, 2022, Merrill joined the Cleveland Charge training camp roster.{{cite web|url=https://canton.gleague.nba.com/news/charge-2022-training-camp-roster/|website=gleague.nba.com|title=Charge 2022 Training Camp Roster|date=October 24, 2022|access-date=October 24, 2022}} He was the No. 1 overall pick in the G League draft two days earlier.{{Cite web |last=Preece |first=Brian |date=2022-10-23 |title=Former Aggie Taken First By Cleveland Charge In G-League Draft |url=https://kslsports.com/494517/sam-merrill-taken-first-by-cleveland-charge-in-g-league-draft/ |access-date=2022-11-11 |website=KSL Sports}}

=Cleveland Cavaliers (2023–present)=

File:Sam Merrill.jpg

On March 3, 2023, Merrill signed a 10-day contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.{{Cite web |title=Cavaliers Sign Sam Merrill to 10-Day Contract |url=https://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/releases-sam-merrill-10-day-230303 |access-date=2023-03-03 |website=NBA.com |language=en}} On March 14, he signed a multi-year contract with the Cavaliers.{{Cite web |title=Cavaliers Sign Sam Merrill to Multi-Year Contract |url=https://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/releases-merrill-signing-230314 |access-date=March 14, 2023 |website=NBA}} On December 20, he scored a career-high 27 points and hit 8 three-pointers off the bench as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Utah Jazz 124–116.{{Cite web |date=2023-12-21 |title=Sam Merrill scores 27 as Cavs beat Jazz, 124-116 |url=https://news.yahoo.com/sam-merrill-scores-27-cavs-070736867.html |access-date=2023-12-21 |website=Yahoo News |language=en-US}} On January 22, 2024, he scored 26 points, including a career-high 20 in the first half, in a 126–99 win over the Orlando Magic, helping lead Cleveland to its eighth straight win.{{Cite web |date=2024-01-23 |title=Cavaliers ease past Magic 126-99 for 8th straight win |url=https://fox8.com/sports/cavaliers-ease-past-magic-126-99-for-8th-straight-win/ |access-date=2024-01-25 |website=Fox 8 Cleveland WJW |language=en-US}} Merrill broke the franchise record for most bench three-pointers in a season on March 27, 2024. It was his 129th three-pointer off the bench for the 2023–24 season, breaking Donyell Marshall's previous record that was set during the 2005–06 season.{{Cite web |last=Potosky |first=Logan |date=March 28, 2024 |title=Cavaliers’ Sam Merrill Breaks Franchise Record Against Hornets |url=https://www.si.com/nba/cavaliers/cleveland-cavaliers-sam-merrill-breaks-franchise-record-against-charlotte-hornets#:~:text=According%20to%20%40CavsNotes%20on%20X%2C%20Merrill%20set%20a%20new%20Cleveland,during%20the%202005%2D06%20season. |website=Sports Illustrated}}

Personal life

In May 2018, Merrill married Kanyan Ward.{{cite web |title=Instagram |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BjBe6gKnF1L/?img_index=1 |website=www.instagram.com |access-date=26 July 2024}} In November 2021, the couple announced they were having a baby girl and in May 2022 their daughter Kendall was born.{{cn|date=February 2025}}{{cite web |title=Instagram |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CWFIGooMfrl/ |website=www.instagram.com |access-date=26 July 2024}} Their second child, a son, was born February 2025.{{Cite web |title=Instagram |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/DF3hpf5hOCi/?hl=en |access-date=2025-02-22 |website=www.instagram.com}}