Sam
Merrill
G
#5
Sam Merrill
Cleveland CavaliersHeight : 6' 4" · Weight : 205 lbs · Age : 30
NBA record
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MIN | FG | FG% | 3PT | 3P% | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 52 | 38 | 26.5 | 4.3-9.3 | 46.1 | 3.0-7.2 | 42.1 | 1.1-1.3 |
| 2024-25 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 71 | 4 | 19.7 | 2.4-6.0 | 40.6 | 1.9-5.2 | 37.2 | 0.4-0.4 |
| 2023-24 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 61 | 1 | 17.5 | 2.6-6.4 | 40.2 | 2.3-5.8 | 40.4 | 0.4-0.5 |
| 2022-23 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 5 | 0 | 11.8 | 1.8-4.4 | 40.9 | 1.0-3.6 | 27.8 | 0.4-0.4 |
| 2021-22 | Memphis Grizzlies | 6 | 0 | 9.7 | 1.3-4.0 | 33.3 | 1.2-3.8 | 30.4 | 0.3-0.7 |
| 2020-21 | Milwaukee Bucks | 30 | 2 | 7.8 | 1.1-2.4 | 44.4 | 0.7-1.6 | 44.7 | 0.1-0.1 |
ContractCleveland Cavaliers payroll →
- This season
- 9.16 M$
- Seasons left
- 3 · through 2028-29
- Total remaining
- 29.5 M$
2026-27
9.16 M$
Guaranteed
2027-28
9.84 M$
Guaranteed
2028-29
10.52 M$
Guaranteed
Advanced stats, 2025-26GuardsNBA stats →
Points
12.8
Rebounds
2.6
Assists
2.4
TS%
64.4 %
Usage
17.0 %
PER
13.6
WS/48
.127
On/off +/−
+4.8
Minutes
26.5
Games
52
Per game, regular season. Stats: Basketball-Reference.
2026-27 projectionNBA trends →
Projected WAR
1.9
Points/game
12.8
Games
62
WAR 2025-26
1.9
This season's pace, over the average minutes of the last two, adjusted for age.
Trend
→ Stable (-3)
- 2023-241.9 WAR · 3.6 per 2,000 min
- 2024-252.2 WAR · 3.1 per 2,000 min
- 2025-261.9 WAR · 2.8 per 2,000 min
Outlook, age included
-3 · 29 y.o. · prime years
It is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes.
Player ratings, 2025-26All ratings →
Ratings from 0 to 100, computed over four seasons from data, never by hand, against regulars in the same position group. 75 = established regular, 87 = 90th percentile, 95+ = elite.
OV · Overall
76
Established regular
- SCO
- Scoring
- 79
- SHT
- Shooting
- 90
- FIN
- Finishing
- 80
- PLY
- Playmaking
- 66
- BAL
- Ball security
- 92
- REB
- Rebounding
- 63
- DEF
- Defense
- 68
- DUR
- Durability
- 62
- EX
- Experience
- 66
Why these ratings?Hide details
- SCO — Scoring : Points per 100 possessions, usage, efficiency (TS%)
- SHT — Shooting : Three-point shooting (accuracy and volume), free throws, midrange
- FIN — Finishing : Finishing at the rim, dunks, free throws drawn
- PLY — Playmaking : Assists (rate and volume)
- BAL — Ball security : Turnovers avoided
- REB — Rebounding : Offensive and defensive rebound rates
- DEF — Defense : Defensive impact estimated from available stats (defensive BPM, steals, blocks); not a complete measure of individual defense
- DUR — Durability : Games played over several seasons
- EX — Experience : Seasons in the NBA
WAR and PAL Rating, 2025-26How we rate →
WAR: Basketball-Reference's VORP × 2.7, wins added above a replacement player. PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against regulars in the same group (50 = median).
WAR
1.9
#61 of 121 regular guards
PAL Rating
58 / 100
#51 of 121 regular guards
Value Rating
58 / 100
PAL expected for this salary: 50 · salary $9.2MPAL: dimensions
Where WAR comes from
Shooting profileNBA shooting profiles →
Where the shots come from and how well they go in, 2025-26 season. The percentile ranks the player among regulars in the group: 90th means better than 90% of them.
Avg distance
21.4 pi
3th percentile
At the rim
86.0 %
100th percentile
Rim share
8.9 %
14th percentile
Midrange
26.7 %
15th percentile
Three-point
.421
95th percentile
3PA share
77.5 %
98th percentile
Corner threes
54.1 %
99th percentile
Free throws
.855
69th percentile
| Season | Team | PTS | WAR | PAL | OV | TS % | 3P% | 3PA share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | CLE | 12.8 | 1.9 | 58 | 76 | 64.4 | .421 | 77.5 |
| 2024-25 | CLE | 7.2 | 2.2 | 50 | 75 | 58.3 | .372 | 86.8 |
| 2023-24 | CLE | 8.0 | 1.9 | 54 | 75 | 59.8 | .404 | 90.1 |
Game log
| Date | Opponent | Result | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 26Playoffs | vs NYK | L 130-93 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2-4 | 1-2 |
| May 24Playoffs | vs NYK | L 121-108 | 24 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2-5 | 2-4 |
| May 22Playoffs | @ NYK | L 109-93 | 23 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-8 | 0-7 |
| May 20Playoffs | @ NYK | L 115-104 OT | 28 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4-9 | 3-8 |
| May 18Playoffs | @ DET | W 125-94 | 25 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7-10 | 5-8 |
| May 15Playoffs | vs DET | L 115-94 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3-6 | 2-5 |
| May 14Playoffs | @ DET | W 117-113 OT | 21 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2-5 | 2-5 |
| May 12Playoffs | vs DET | W 112-103 | 16 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2-8 | 2-7 |
| May 9Playoffs | vs DET | W 116-109 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2-4 | 1-3 |
| May 5Playoffs | @ DET | L 111-101 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |