Milwaukee Bucks: Getting to know 60th overall pick Sam Merrill

Examining Sam Merrill’s fit with the Milwaukee Bucks

By now, it should be common knowledge that Merrill is a prolific knockdown shooter and one of the best in this 2020 NBA Draft class. Having shot 42 percent on 759 total attempts from three over his time at Utah State, Merrill can simply shoot from anywhere on the floor.

From that standpoint, it’s very easy to see why the Bucks took such a strong liking to the 24-year-old. Mike Decoury of Sporting News recently even went as far as to say that Merrill could be a steal in this draft, his electric shooting responsible for such a claim:

"“If all this were about shooting, and shooting only, they’d be talking about Merrill as a likely lottery pick.”"

Merrill certainly won’t have much problems letting it fly to the degree that the Bucks have done during the Mika Budenholzer era. When imagining his fit around the Bucks’ cornerstones, Merrill can certainly take advantage of the space he’ll have to launch away from beyond the arc and hit such shots at a reliable rate, at minimum.

With all that said, Merrill takes great pride in being a great all-around player and thinks he’s capable of being more than that in the NBA as he talked about with Bryan Kalbrosky and Nick Friar of USA Today’s the Rookie Wire:

"“I’m more than just a shooter. I do have the ability to shoot the ball, but I want to prove to teams that I can help with more than that — both on the offensive and defensive end. I’m just trying to get across my love for the game and my versatility, as well.”"

Merrill is not wrong is his ability to make plays with the ball in his hands and play with such a patient pace has often led him to find the open man time and time again. He may not cut in the high-usage of the likes of Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, and Khris Middleton, but being able to create some level of shots for others will certainly come in handy for someone like Merrill.

At 24 years old, Merrill brings plenty of experience, maturity, and skills to the court. Being able to see the court with the Bucks, though, will be contingent on Merrill being able to keep up defensively. Given his athletic limitations, Merrill’s intelligence and awareness will have to carry him in being able to adjust to the NBA level on that side of the ball.

But there’s no question that the Bucks clearly saw something special in Sam Merrill, and all eyes will be on the now-former Utah State star heading into next season.