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Samuel Hoskins Merrill (born May 15, 1996) is an American professional
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player for the
Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
of the
National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
(NBA). He played
college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
at
Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...
(USU).


Early life and high school career

Merrill is the son of John and Jenny Merrill and has an older sister, Molli. He grew up in
Bountiful, Utah Bountiful is Davis city. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 42,552, a three percent increase over the 2000 figure of 41,301. The city grew rapidly during the suburb growth of the late 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s and was Davis County's l ...
, and attended
Bountiful High School Bountiful High School is a public high school in Bountiful, Utah, United States, for grades 10 to 12. The school is one of eleven high schools in the Davis School District. History Bountiful High opened in 1951. It underwent reconstruction in 2 ...
. 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 The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...
and
Salt Lake Tribune ''The Salt Lake Tribune'' is a newspaper published in the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The ''Tribune'' is owned by The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871." History A ...
. 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 Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
and
Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...
but committed to USU.


College career

Merrill went on a two-year
mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...
for
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
to Nicaragua before his freshman year at USU. When he returned, head coach
Stew Morrill Stewart Morrill (born July 25, 1952) is an American college basketball coach and the former head coach of the Utah State University men's basketball team. Morrill was an All-American at Ricks College and a two-time All-Big Sky selection for Gonza ...
retired and was replaced by
Tim Duryea Timothy Lee Duryea (born November 16, 1964) is an American college basketball coach who was men's basketball head coach at Utah State Aggies men's basketball, Utah State, and is currently an assistant coach at Boise State Broncos men's basketball ...
. Merrill posted 9.4 points per game as a freshman. In his sophomore season, Merrill averaged 16.3 points per game. He was named Third–team All-
Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference (MW) is one of the collegiate athletic conferences affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) (formerly I-A). The MW officially began operations o ...
(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. Merrill had a career-high 38 points on March 5, 2019, in a 100–96 overtime victory over
Colorado State University Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a public land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado State University is classified among "R1: ...
(CSU). In the season opener of his senior year, Merrill had 28 points to help USU defeat
Montana State Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 68 fields, and doctoral degrees in 35 fiel ...
81–73. On February 11, versus CSU, Merrill eclipsed the 2,000-point mark for his career and passed
Wayne Estes Wayne Vernon Estes (May 13, 1943 – February 8, 1965) was an American basketball player. He was a 6'6" (1.98 m) All-American forward for the Utah State Aggies from 1962 to 1965. Wayne is the fourth-leading scorer in Utah State history, wit ...
for third on USU’s all-time scoring list. He finished with 32 points and five assists in a 75–72 win. At the conclusion of the regular season, Merrill was named First Team All-MWC. 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 The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
soon after his final game where he scored 27 points in a 59–56 upset of
San Diego State San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...
in the tournament final and hit the game-winning three-pointer with 2.5 seconds remaining.


Professional career


Milwaukee Bucks (2020–2021)

On November 18, 2020, Merrill was selected by the
New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...
as the final pick of the
2020 NBA draft The 2020 NBA draft was held on November 18, 2020. The draft was originally scheduled to be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 25, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it was instead conducted at ESPN's facilities in Bristol, Connecti ...
. On November 24, Merrill was traded to the
Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...
as part of a four-team trade, involving the
Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...
and the
Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...
. He was assigned to the
Memphis Hustle The Memphis Hustle are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in the Greater Memphis suburb of Southaven, Mississippi, and are affiliated with the Memphis Grizzlies. The team plays their home games at the Landers Cent ...
of the
NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...
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 1.0 rebound and shot 44.7% from three, in 7.8 minutes per game. 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 The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...
in 6 games of the
2021 NBA Finals The 2021 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2020–21 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff series, the Eastern Conference champion Milwaukee Bucks d ...
.


Memphis Grizzlies (2021–2022)

On August 7, 2021, Merrill was traded, along with two future second-round picks, to the
Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...
in exchange for
Grayson Allen Grayson James Allen (born October 8, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played four years of college basketball at Duke University. Allen was drafted with ...
. On January 1, 2022, he was waived. 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 The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...
. He was waived prior to the start of the season. On October 24, 2022, Merrill joined the
Cleveland Charge The Cleveland Charge are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Cleveland, Ohio, and are affiliated with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team plays its home games at the Wolstein Center in downtown Cleveland. The fra ...
training camp roster. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the G-League draft two days earlier.


Cleveland Cavaliers (2023–present)

On March 3, 2023, Merrill signed a 10-day contract with the
Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
. On March 14, he signed a multi-year contract with the Cavaliers.


Career statistics


NBA


Regular season

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Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
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Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...
, 6 , , 0 , , 9.7 , , .333 , , .304 , , .500 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , .0 , , .0 , , 4.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",
Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, 5 , , 0 , , 11.8 , , .409 , , .278 , , 1.000 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , .0 , , 5.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 41 , , 2 , , 8.5 , , .415 , , .375 , , .800 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , .3 , , .0 , , 3.4


Playoffs

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† , style="text-align:left;",
Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
, 8 , , 0 , , 3.8 , , .286 , , .200 , , – , , .6 , , .1 , , .5 , , .0 , , .6


College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",
Utah State Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...
, 31 , , 18 , , 26.2 , , .450 , , .451 , , .878 , , 3.0 , , 3.2 , , .9 , , .2 , , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",
Utah State Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...
, 34 , , 33 , , 35.4 , , .504 , , .464 , , .849 , , 3.3 , , 3.1 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 16.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",
Utah State Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...
, 35 , , 35 , , 35.3 , , .461 , , .376 , , .909 , , 3.9 , , 4.2 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 20.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;",
Utah State Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...
, 32 , , 32 , , 35.0 , , .461 , , .410 , , .893 , , 4.1 , , 3.9 , , .9 , , .1 , , 19.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 132 , , 118 , , 33.1 , , .470 , , .420 , , .891 , , 3.6 , , 3.6 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 16.6


References


External links


Utah State Aggies bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merrill, Sam 1996 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from Utah Cleveland Cavaliers players Cleveland Charge players Latter Day Saints from Utah Memphis Grizzlies players Memphis Hustle players Milwaukee Bucks players New Orleans Pelicans draft picks People from Bountiful, Utah Sportspeople from the Salt Lake City metropolitan area Shooting guards Utah State Aggies men's basketball players