As he comes to the Milwaukee Bucks after being the 60th overall pick in this year’s Draft, Sam Merrill is eager to make an impact going into the 2020-21 season.
Looking to jumpstart his NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks, Sam Merrill is eager to make his introduction into the league.
While the tag of ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ will follow Merrill after being the 60th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, he may very well be relevant to the Bucks moving forward after signing a two-year, $1.4 million deal that is partially guaranteed next season.
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Being one of two rookies on this year’s Bucks roster, with the other being Jordan Nwora, Merrill faces quite the challenge of trying to break through and earn meaningful minutes under head coach Mike Budenholzer.
And as he talked about during his first appearance during the Bucks’ Media Week, Merrill brings a dose of experience and maturity that he’s hoping may lead to him seeing the floor throughout his rookie season:
"“Definitely and that’s something that I tried to portray to teams during the pre-draft process. I know I’m older, so there are question marks with drafting an older guy, I get that. But with my life experiences, going on an LDS mission, playing four years at Utah State, playing under two different coaching staffs, I do feel ready. There are certain parts of the NBA that no one is ready for and I understand that. With everything going so quick and the necessity to be able to adjust quickly and learn on the fly, I feel like that will be stuff that I will be able to do. With my experience and my maturity, I can hopefully be in a position where I can contribute right away.”"
With a skill set that may warrant minutes on the court, Merrill may be one to watch as the season progresses. Now let’s break the the three biggest ways Sam Merrill can break through into the Milwaukee Bucks’ rotation this 2020-21 season.
Goal no.1 – Bring lights out shooting
By far the biggest boost that Merrill can bring to the Bucks immediately is his lethal 3-point shooting.
His pedigree speaks for itself over his time at Utah State where he finished as a 42 percent 3-point shooter in college. By the way, that came on 759 attempts, which reinforces his high-volume marksmanship.
As clear as Merrill’s shooting abilities are, the fact that he can make opposing defenses pay in so many different ways by hitting shots has certainly been a calling card that helped him reach the NBA. Whether it’s being able to pull up off of the dribble, hit shots off the catch or run off screens to find slivers of space, Merrill is so proficient in all ways, all of which can be unleashed in the Bucks’ system under head coach Mike Budenholzer.
Should all Bucks fans immediately expect Merrill to bring the ridiculous 3-point efficiency he showed in college to the pros? After not having played organized basketball in over nine months, that may be a little overzealous and that goes on top of the adjustment period he’ll face going against NBA-caliber players.
Still, Merrill’s prolific shooting is legitimate and if other areas of his game can hold up in the NBA, he will bring the shooting punch the Bucks need to bolster their offensive attack.
Goal no. 2 – Maintain precise playmaking
For as tantalizing as Merrill’s sharpshooting is, the level-headed play he has historically shown with the ball in his hands is another asset in the Bucks’ favor.
Merrill certainly grew used to take on a more high-usage role for the Aggies as his college career unfolded and even logged a usage percentage as high as 26.5 percent during his junior season back in 2018-19.
As he took on such significant responsibilities and pulled the strings for the Aggies’ offense, Merrill’s tidy and reliable decision-making clearly stood out. And over his four years, Merrill averaged 3.6 assists per game in his 132 appearances as well as a career 22.2 assist percentage while posting a 2.29 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Coming into an established hierarchy like Milwaukee has with Giannis Antetokounmpo at the front, Merrill’s playmaking will come in a more secondary or tertiary fashion with the Bucks. But as he told The Rookie Wire’s Bryan Kalbrosky and Nick Friar last month, making the right play is all he’s looking to do:
"“My goal has just always been to make the right play. You’re not going to see me making flashy plays ever. That’s just not who I am. But I do try and make the right play and make the right decision, make the right reads. I do like playing in a fast-paced style. Maybe not running up or down, but again, playing fast within the flow of a half-court offense. Hopefully, that’s another thing I can provide: the ability to make plays for others.”"
When it came down to it, the Bucks simply didn’t have enough capable playmakers or ball movers when it mattered most. While it’s a longshot to consider Merrill for critical minutes like during the postseason, he certainly can help add a jolt of creativity into their overall system.
Goal no. 3 – Holding his own defensively
As much as an offensive spark Merrill projects to be in the NBA and now in Milwaukee, there are more than enough questions about how he’ll be able to play on the defensive end.
While he does have solid positional size and decent physical tools, Merrill is far from the fleetest of foot and the same applies to his lack of explosiveness. As those were limitations that showed up during Merrill’s time playing in the Mountain West Conference, one can only wonder how they would be tested in the NBA.
Despite all that, Merrill has been steadfast in his abilities to compete defensively at the NBA level as he discussed his perceived limitations to Mike Decourcy of the Sporting News on the eve of last month’s draft:
"“There’s certainly some truth to it, in the aspect that I don’t run super fast and I don’t jump super high. But I do think that … I’m a lot quicker than people think, both laterally and with the ball in my hands,” Merrill said. “I feel like I have the ability to go by guys, and I can stay in front of guys. “I feel like athleticism isn’t simply running and jumping. I think there’s more to it. I think it’s movement. There’s fluidness as a mover, and as a finisher around the rim, and as a rebounder there’s toughness. I do think I have the ability to compete with the best athletes.”"
Certainly Merrill’s sound positioning and high IQ does have the potential to mitigate some of his physical and athletic attributes on that side of the ball. But until Merrill is able to show that his deficiencies aren’t as drastic as they have been made out to be in projecting his fit at the next level, he’ll have to earn the benefit of the doubt with his play.
That requires being able to see the floor and given how Budenholzer has prized the defensive end during his time in Milwaukee, being a capable defender is the bar for entry into Milwaukee’s rotation for Merrill.