2020 NBA Draft: How Sam Merrill fits the New Orleans Pelicans

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Mar 6, 2020; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Utah State Aggies guard Sam Merrill (5) dribbles against Wyoming Cowboys guard Jake Hendricks (0) during the first half of a Mountain West Conference tournament game at Thomas and Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports /

New Orleans Pelicans NBA Draft: Sam Merrill’s age and lack of athleticism will cause teams to question his ability to play NBA Basketball

Sam Merrill’s Weaknesses

Here’s where things get concerning for the New Orleans Pelicans. Unlike a lot of the other prospects we’ve discussed in this upcoming draft, Sam Merrill is 24 years old. That means he’ll be 25 before his rookie season even ends, yikes!

For a lot of NBA teams, this is concerning because younger prospects may have weaknesses in their game but plenty of time to fix them. For older players like Merrill, most of the time teams find they are what they are if they draft them.

This is especially true about Merrill’s lack of athletic ability. It’s safe to say that at 25 years old, Merrill will never become more than an average athlete. That’s going to be a problem for him at the NBA level, specifically on the defensive end of the floor.

Sam Merrill is a defensive liability, he’s not quick enough to cover opposing guards, and doesn’t have the vertical ability to contest shots. Even though he stands at 6’5″, he’s very immobile with his height.

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That issue can spread to the other side of the court too. We just talked about how great Merrill’s abilities with the ball were in the NCAA, but with professional NBA guards covering him will he be able to sell those moves? I’d say he would have trouble doing so.

These deficiencies don’t mean that I hate his fit with the New Orleans Pelicans though, I still think there’s potential for him having a meaningful role on the team in the future. Let me explain.