How does Merrill fit with the Bucks?
Sam Merrill has officially made it to the NBA. The 24-year old former Aggie was taken by the Milwaukee Bucks with the final pick in the draft and according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, a contract has already been drawn up.
So where does he fit in on the team that finished with the best record in the NBA last season?
The Bucks went into full-on win-now mode the moment the NBA trade period opened prior to this season. First they traded for New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday and they tried to convince Sacramento Kings wing Bogdan Bogdanovic to accept a sign-and-trade deal that has reportedly fallen apart. Milwaukee has fallen short in the playoffs two seasons in a row despite having back-to-back MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (who also won Defensive Player of the Year this past season). A push to make the Finals is priority No. 1 and no price is too high at the moment for them.
To recognize Sam Merrill’s 2000 Career points at Aggie Basketball, Athletics director John Hartwell and head basketball coach Craig Smith present Merrill with a commemorative basketball at USU’s game against Wyoming on February 19, 2020.
Merrill is one of two draft selections the Bucks are taking home to Wisconsin. The first was taken 15 picks before Merrill at No. 45 with the Bucks selecting former Louisville wing Jordan Nwora. His draft profile is eerily similar to Merrill — a 6-foot-5 wing with a deadly shooting stroke, a high basketball IQ and questions about athletic prowess. This has preseason camp battle written all over it. Merrill and Nwora will be fighting for the same role on a championship-caliber roster.
Milwaukee was certainly filling a need when going after Merrill and Nwora. The addition of Holiday is a boon for the Bucks, but it cost them two of their guards — George Hill and Eric Bledsoe — along with a package of draft picks to acquire the two-time All-Defensive team selection. Additionally, veteran shooting guard Wesley Matthews turned down his player option with the Bucks and will likely earn a solid paycheck somewhere else. He started the second-most games for the Bucks, playing 24.4 minutes per night as a three-and-D compliment to Antetokounmpo.
The remaining guards on the team prior to draft night were Donte DiVincenzo and restricted free agents Sterling Brown and Frank Mason III. DiVincenzo, a two-time NCAA champion at Villanova, was the Bucks’ top bench wing last season, playing 23.0 minutes per game and even starting 24 times. Brown has seen consistent time in his three seasons in Milwaukee with a career average of 15.7 minutes per game. However, Brown put up career-lows in field goal percentage and 3-point percentage and played just three minutes during the playoffs. Mason was a two-way player for the Bucks last season and appeared in just nine games in 2019-20.
With just those three returning guards plus Holiday, there is a significant hole in Milwaukee’s backcourt and even at small forward behind All-Star Kris Middleton. Merrill has the skills and size to play all three positions. And though he likely fits best at shooting guard, his passing skills may prove his best asset if the Bucks find themselves in need of a bench creator able to handle the ball in the pick-and-roll. After all, Merrill ranked in the 91st percentile as a scorer in the pick-and-roll per Synergy Sports and his passing out of the NBA’s most fundamental play was highly regarded by scouts and media prior to the draft.
The Bucks’ front office is 100 percent going to try and fill the holes at guard and backup small forward with budget free agent veterans looking for a ring. If they are successful, the window for Merrill to jump through to get minutes might close rather quickly. Should new additions at wing not materialize in Wisconsin, that window will be plenty open and the former Aggie could find himself in just the role to suit well-suited to his skillset, coming off the bench as a playmaking shooter.