Sacramento further addresses last season’s shooting problems.
The Sacramento Kings have continued to make small, yet potentially beneficial moves this offseason. This time, as first reported by Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, they signed third-year free agent guard Sam Merrill.
Merrill, who won a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2020-21 season, will be joining the Kings on an Exhibit 10 deal.
Free agent sharpshooter Sam Merrill has reached an agreement with the Sacramento Kings, league sources tell @YahooSports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) August 12, 2022
Having only been in the NBA for two seasons before this upcoming one, he doesn’t have a lot of on-court experience. Over his two seasons with the Bucks and the Memphis Grizzlies, Merrill has played in just 36 games and started in only two. His career averages in those games are 3.2 points and 1.0 rebounds while shooting 40% from deep.
Now, those numbers are admittedly scary. However, he was buried on two very talented rosters which didn’t give him a lot of room to shine. Now that he is going to participate in training camp with the Kings, he will be joining a collection of young players also fighting to show they belong on a revamped team.
Sacramento’s two biggest needs from last season were defense and shooting. Unlike other new additions such as KZ Okpala and Chima Moneke, Merrill directly addresses the shooting need as opposed to defense. He will help create space on the floor for the primary ball-handlers such as De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and Davion Mitchell, as well as be an efficient drive-and-kick option.
Sacramento has had issues with their depth for many years. As well as many other problems. This season, it looks as though they are really giving it their all to make some serious changes and become a better team. Will Merrill be a part of that team?
This breaking news story may be updated with more information and analysis as it continues to develop.