Sam Merrill

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Sam Merrill
No. 25 – Memphis Grizzlies
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1996-05-15) May 15, 1996 (age 25)
Salt Lake City, Utah
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight197 lb (89 kg)
Career information
High schoolBountiful (Bountiful, Utah)
CollegeUtah State (2016–2020)
NBA draft2020 / Round: 2 / Pick: 60th overall
Selected by the New Orleans Pelicans
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–2021Milwaukee Bucks
2021→Memphis Hustle
2021–presentMemphis Grizzlies
2021→Memphis Hustle
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

Samuel Hoskins Merrill (born May 15, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Utah State Aggies.

Early life and high school career[]

Merrill is the son of John and Jenny Merrill and has an older sister Molli. He grew up in Bountiful, Utah, and attended Bountiful High School. He became a starter as a sophomore at the midpoint in the season and averaged 6.5 points per game and 2.6 assists. As a junior, Merrill averaged 18.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game and was named first-team all-state by the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune. He posted 15.8 points, 7.4 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game as a senior and led Bountiful to a 4A state title. Merrill was recruited by Stanford and Princeton but committed to Utah State.[1]

College career[]

Merrill went on a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to Nicaragua before his freshman year at Utah State. When he returned, head coach Stew Morrill retired and was replaced by Tim Duryea.[2] Merrill posted 9.4 points per game as a freshman.[3]

In his sophomore season, Merrill averaged 16.3 points per game.[3] He was named to the Third–team All-Mountain West.[2] Merrill married soccer player Kanyan Ward in May 2018.[3]

As a junior, Merrill averaged 20.9 points, 4.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. He shot 46.1 percent from the floor, 37.6 percent from behind the arc and 90.9 percent from the free throw line. Merrill led Utah State to a Mountain West Tournament championship, securing the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. He was named Mountain West Conference Player of the Year and Mountain West Tournament MVP as well as AP Honorable Mention All-American.[4] Merrill had a career-high 38 points on March 5, 2019, in a 100–96 overtime victory over Colorado State.[3]

In the season opener of his senior year, Merrill had 28 points to help the Aggies defeat Montana State 81–73.[5] On February 11, versus Colorado State, Merrill eclipsed the 2,000-point mark for his career and passed Wayne Estes for third on the school’s all-time scoring list.[6] He finished with 32 points and five assists in a 75–72 win.[7] At the conclusion of the regular season, Merrill was named to the First Team All-Mountain West.[8] Merrill led Utah State to another Mountain West Tournament championship, securing the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, and was named Mountain West Tournament MVP. The tournament was canceled soon after his final game where he scored 27 points in a 59–56 upset of San Diego State in the tournament final and hit the game-winning three-pointer with 2.5 seconds remaining.[9]

Professional career[]

Milwaukee Bucks (2020–2021)[]

On November 18, 2020, Merrill was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans as the final pick of the 2020 NBA draft.

On November 24, Merrill was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of a four-team trade, involving the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets.[10] He was assigned to the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G League to start the G League season, making his Hustle debut on February 10, 2021. Merrill ended his rookie season as an NBA champion when the Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns in 6 games of the 2021 NBA Finals.

Memphis Grizzlies (2021–present)[]

On August 7, 2021, Merrill was traded, along two future second-round picks, to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Grayson Allen.[11]

Career statistics[]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship

NBA[]

Regular season[]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21† Milwaukee 30 2 7.8 .444 .447 1.000 1.0 .7 .3 .0 3.0
Career 30 2 7.8 .444 .447 1.000 1.0 .7 .3 .0 3.0

College[]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 Utah State 31 18 26.2 .450 .451 .878 3.0 3.2 .9 .2 9.1
2017–18 Utah State 34 33 35.4 .504 .464 .849 3.3 3.1 1.0 .2 16.3
2018–19 Utah State 35 35 35.3 .461 .376 .909 3.9 4.2 1.1 .3 20.9
2019–20 Utah State 32 32 35.0 .461 .410 .893 4.1 3.9 .9 .1 19.7
Career 132 118 33.1 .470 .420 .891 3.6 3.6 1.0 .2 16.6

References[]

  1. ^ Emerson, Taylor (February 17, 2017). "The fulfillment of a dream: Sam Merrill's journey to Utah State". The Utah Statesman. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Carr, Patrick (December 15, 2018). "Bountiful alum Sam Merrill adjusts to being Utah State basketball's focal point". . Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Hunter, Jeff (March 12, 2019). "'Sam's a warrior': Utah State's Merrill wins Mountain West POY, continues to elevate play for co-champion Aggies". Deseret News. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  4. ^ Carr, Patrick (April 2, 2019). "Sam Merrill, Bountiful alum, named AP honorable mention All-American". . Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  5. ^ "Merrill scores 28, No. 17 Utah State beats Montana State". ESPN. Associated Press. November 6, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  6. ^ Allen, Trevor (February 11, 2020). "Sam Merrill Reaches 2,000 Points, Moves Up Utah State's Career Scoring List". kslsports.com. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  7. ^ "Sam Merrill scores 32 to lift Utah State over Colorado State 75–72". Deseret News. Associated Press. February 12, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  8. ^ "Mountain West Announces 2019-20 Men's Basketball All-Conference Team" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  9. ^ "Utah State earns NCAA tournament berth by stunning SDSU for Mountain West title". ESPN. Associated Press. March 7, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  10. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks Acquire Jrue Holiday From The New Orleans Pelicans As Part Of Four-Team Deal". NBA.com. November 24, 2020.
  11. ^ "Grizzlies acquire Sam Merrill and two future second round picks from Bucks". NBA.com. August 7, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2021.

External links[]

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