Tipping off their preseason towards the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night time at Rocket Area, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been surprisingly with out beginning guard candidate Sam Merrill.
In his postgame press convention following the 118-117 loss, Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson supplied an replace as to why: “Yeah, he is acquired a bit of soreness in his abductor, however he needed to play. I simply stated no, it isn’t price it. We’ll see. Like, I’m simply gonna be tremendous, tremendous cautious with him within the preseason.”
Merrill is vying for a spot within the beginning 5 as Darius Garland and Max Strus get well from their respective accidents, so this appears to be a minor setback.
Since he needed to sit out, Jaylon Tyson discovered himself within the combine with Donovan Mitchell, De’Andre Hunter, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. Tyson didn’t make a shot, with all 5 makes an attempt being from lengthy distance. Nevertheless, he made his presence felt with a few athletic blocks in assist protection and had a steal. Tyson dished out three assists and did not flip the ball over.
This offseason, Merrill signed a four-year, $38 million deal to play a pivotal position for Cleveland this season and past.
“It is inconceivable to say that there would not be a barely completely different mindset,” Merrill stated on Cavs Media Day. “It is nice to have that safety. The NBA is futile. You by no means know precisely what’s gonna occur, however realizing that I am hopefully gonna be right here for a couple of years [is nice]. However on the identical time, you need to play nicely. Whether or not you are on a minimal or a max contract, you need to play nicely.
“My focus hasn’t modified. I feel my resolve has even gotten stronger to be the very best participant I may be and assist this workforce get to the subsequent degree.”
We’ll see when Merrill fits up subsequent. Hopefully, this abductor harm would not put him behind the 8-ball.