Sam Merrill, a man who doesn’t bend under pressure, is precisely the kind of shooter the Sacramento Kings could use.
Sacramento ranked 24th in 3-point percentage (34.4) and 25th in three-pointers (11.4) during the 2021-22 season. Merrill, however, shot a 44% 30-game clip in the 2020-21 season before injuries limited him to just six games in 2021, making him a welcome addition to the Kings’ roster.
Merrill began his career playing basketball for Bountiful High School, which eventually led to him being recruited by Stanford and Princeton. He eventually committed to Utah State University.
In his sophomore season, Merrill averaged 16.3 points per game. Merrill gained momentum in his junior year with 20.9 points, 4.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.
In 2019, Merrill tweeted, “I didn’t come to Utah to win quarterfinal games; I came here to win conference championships! #LeaveNoDoubt.”
Merrill led Utah State to a Mountain West Tournament championship with his confidence and effective ball handling. He was later named Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, Mountain West Tournament MVP, and was an AP All-American Honorable Mention.
With his dedication to the sport, he started his professional career in November 2020 with the New Orleans Pelicans as the final draft pick.
A week later, he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in a four-team trade involving the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets. While with the Bucks, he played on the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G League, averaging 3.0 points, 1.0 rebounds and shooting 44.7% of three in 7.8 minutes per game. Merrill ended his season with the Milwaukee Bucks winning a championship.
In 2021, Merrill was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, averaging 4.2 points and 1.2 rebounds per game in his six games with the Grizzlies.
As a free agent, Merrill signed with the Kings in 2022.
As one of 20 players on the Kings’ preseason roster, Merrill is looking to prove he can be the shooting threat Sacramento needs to take it to the next level.