Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill shared his thoughts on Cleveland’s uptick in 3-point shooting during a Saturday media availability.
“You want to play the way that your personnel dictates,” Merrill said, via a Saturday YouTube video from the Cavaliers. “We certainly have a lot more shooters. Not only that, but a lot of really good passers as well. Not just Darius and Donovan, but Evan’s a really good passer. Georges and Max and Ty and Caris are just good passers as far as making the next right play.
“I don’t know how many we’re going to average and whatnot, but I think the mindset of making the right play, finding the open man and being confident is going to really help us.”
The Cavs attempted an average of 31.6 3-pointers per game during the 2022-23 NBA regular season, according to NBA.com. The figure put them behind the Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors for 24th in the league. They shot 30.6 attempts per contest during their five games in the NBA Playoffs, putting them in 13th among teams who made the postseason. Cleveland has shot 46 long-range attempts per game during its two preseason matchups, putting them on pace with the Dallas Mavericks for a top-10 spot among preseason squads.
Cleveland quickly embraced a high-pace offense during its first preseason matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. The Cavs had attempted 22 3-pointers by the end of the first half and 48 by game’s end. They shot 40 or more long-range shots a total of six times during last year’s regular season. Cleveland attempted a season-high 50 3-pointers during a 121-108 win over the New York Knicks at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell and now-Miami Heat forward Kevin Love each hit eight of their 13 3-point attempts in the home win.
The Cavaliers will face Ra’anana Maccabi Ra’anana at 7 p.m. EDT on Monday in Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. The game will be broadcasted on Bally Sports Great Lakes.