The Cleveland Cavaliers had a tough time getting anything going offensively against the Detroit Pistons in Game 1 of their second-round series. That task was made more difficult with the loss of sharpshooter Sam Merrill, who was limited to just seven minutes in Game 1 with a hamstring injury.
Cleveland could be without Merrill for all of Game 2. He’s officially listed as questionable on the injury report ahead of Tuesday’s matchup with a left hamstring strain.
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Merrill has been playing through various injuries this season. A hand injury he suffered near the beginning of the season has required him to ice his hand after games and practices. He’s also been dealing with left hamstring issues off and on, which caused him to miss regular-season games in March and April.
Merrill is one of the toughest players on the team. If there’s any possibility that he could play through the injury, he’ll likely try to.
At the same time, this could be a long series. There’s no point in rushing Merrill back now if there’s a chance that this injury could be in a better place in a week.
Merrill’s shooting has been indispensable for an offense that has been stuck in neutral for much of the postseason. Cleveland’s offense has been 16.8 points per 100 possessions better when he’s on the floor compared to when he’s not. That’s due to his shooting and the gravity he has as an off-ball mover.
The Cavs don’t have an easy way to replicate Merrill’s shooting if he can’t go. Max Strus has been good at times this postseason, but this team needs both Strus and Merrill, not one or the other.
This season, Merrill averaged 12.8 points on 42.1% shooting from deep. In eight playoff games, he’s averaged 6.6 points on 37.9% shooting from deep.
