Cleveland Cavaliers’ guard Sam Merrill had something of a full-circle moment as he stood before a small scrum of reporters on the Utah Jazz basketball court following a pregame practice on the morning of Tuesday, April 2.
Merrill, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was grateful to be back in his home state, preparing for a game in Salt Lake City’s Delta Center arena where he cheered for the Jazz as a youth. It was also a short distance from where he grew up in Bountiful and less than 100 miles from where he was a star player at Utah State University.
He had returned to Utah in an NBA uniform once before during his second year in the league, but he didn’t see action due to an injury. So Tuesday’s game against the Jazz would be a coming out party for the former Aggie.
“It’s really exciting to be able to see family and a lot of friends,” Merrill said. “It was always my dream to play in the NBA. Growing up, I never thought it was a realistic possibility. But you work hard and set high goals for yourself, and I’ve found a way to make it work out to this point.”
Hours later, thousands of fans gave a friendly, hometown roar as No. 5 checked into the game. Merrill’s performance didn’t disappoint as he played 32 minutes and scored 18 points, all on 3-pointers, and added five assists and three rebounds to help lift his playoff-bound Cleveland Cavaliers to a convincing 129-113 victory over the Utah Jazz.
Sporting a Utah State hoodie in the locker room after the game, Merrill didn’t have much to say — his family was waiting.
“It’s fun to be able to make a few shots ... and obviously we really needed to win tonight, so it was good to get a comfortable win,” he said. “It was a really fun experience. I got a lot of people here obviously, but I just want to play good basketball, and that’s all I really focus on going into every game.”
Patience, persistence and prayer
On Jan. 1, 2023, President Russell M. Nelson shared three lessons he learned as a deep sea fisherman in a New Year’s resolution message.
“For me, deep sea fishing has been infrequent but instructive. Success requires patience, persistence, and prayer,” President Nelson wrote in a social media post on Jan. 1. “As we begin this new year and make resolutions to improve things in our lives, these three requisites for successful fishing can help us.”
The wise New Year’s-fishing advice proved to be an inspiring message for Merrill at that point in his career, a journey that had seen its fair share of ups and downs.
“It’s been a big thing for me,” he said of President Nelson’s advice.
The final pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, Merrill’s rookie season ended with his Milwaukee Bucks winning the 2021 NBA championship.
Months later, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, where he suffered an ankle injury, needed surgery and was waived.
After a short stint with the Sacramento Kings, Merrill was the first pick of the NBA G League draft by the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ G League affiliate, where he averaged 16.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals.
In March 2023, Merrill signed a multiyear contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The fourth-year pro didn’t see much playing time as the 2023-2024 season got underway, but an opportunity eventually came when the team experienced some injuries.
At the end of a blowout loss to the Miami Heat on Nov. 22, 2023, Merrill’s number was called, and he made a trio of 3-pointers, which he said bolstered his confidence going forward.
A month later, Merrill came off the bench to have a career night, scoring 27 points, including eight 3-pointers, to help the Cavaliers defeat the very team he grew up cheering for — the Utah Jazz — in a 124-116 victory in Cleveland.
“I grew up as a Jazz fan in Utah, so to be able to have a game like this against them is even more special,” Merrill told news media after the game. “To do that while we’re winning games, that’s what you dream about as a kid. You’ve got to enjoy these moments, for sure.”
This season, Merrill — who teammates have nicknamed “Sammy Buckets” and “Money Merrill” — has played in 58 games, averaging 8.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists.
Merrill, who served in the Nicaragua Managua South Mission, continues to appreciate and rely on President Nelson’s perspective to be patient, persistent and prayerful.
“I’ve gotten to the point where I feel really confident about controlling what I can control and understanding that hard work is going to pay off at some point. It may not always be how you expect it. There are ups and downs. You don’t always play maybe as much as you’d like,” he said. “Those messages, staying patient and doing the right things, to this point, it has worked out.”
Family and basketball
Playing in the NBA doesn’t come without its sacrifices.
The league’s regular-season schedule includes 82 games and requires teams to constantly travel from city to city across the United States.
“Yes, it’s tough. There’s a lot of travel. I just saw my wife and daughter for the first time in three weeks yesterday,” said Merrill, who doesn’t want to miss those precious early life milestones as his daughter approaches her second birthday.
“Luckily I have a great support system and people that support my wife and child when they’re not seeing me, so I’m grateful for all of them.”
Merrill was excited to go to dinner at a favorite Bountiful restaurant and spend time with his loved ones the night before Tuesday’s game. He said more than 20 family members and friends attended the Cavs-Jazz game at the Delta Center.
Faith and resilience
During his junior year at Utah State, Merrill got the chance to play some pickup basketball against some Jazz players who are now his teammates in Cleveland — Donovan Mitchell and Georges Niang.
It was during those pickup games that Merrill started to feel like he could play at the NBA level, he told the Deseret News.
During the NBA’s All-Star weekend, Mitchell honored Merrill by wearing his Cavs’ No. 5 with the name “Money Merrill” on the back of the jersey as Mitchell competed in the 3-point contest.
Before the game on April 2, Niang spoke of Merrill’s likable “down-to-earth personality” and expressed admiration for Merrill’s example of faith and resilience.
“When you talk about him living his faith and what he has gone through, it’s probably one of the reasons why he’s become so successful,” the 6-foot-7 Niang said. “He doesn’t try to control everything, he just does what is meant for him to do. He’s never too high, never too low. He always keeps a balanced life. He continues to stick to what he knows — his faith, his strength, what gets him through every single day. It’s allowed him to push through tough times where maybe other people would quit. He’s done an unbelievable job for us. We’re extremely happy that we have him on our side because I sure wouldn’t want to be chasing him around on another team.”
Cleveland head basketball coach J.B. Bickerstaff expressed similar thoughts earlier this season.
“This isn’t something that just happened overnight,” Bickerstaff told the Deseret News. “You watch him work tirelessly, every single day, and he works at game speed, so these reps aren’t new to him. But I mean, this is what the NBA is about, it’s about making dreams come true.”
The coach wasn’t surprised by Merrill’s big performance in Utah and openly praised his offensive and defensive contributions.
“Sam does kind of what Sam does,” Bickerstaff said after the game. “I thought he was great tonight.”
