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Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson shares update on Sam Merrill's injury

On a night where nearly everything clicked for the Cavs, the thoughts turned to the fitness of another of Kenny Atkinson's key starters.
John Hobbs|
Oct 22, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson coaches against the New York Knicks during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Oct 22, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson coaches against the New York Knicks during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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Cleveland Cavaliers

You would think that after the Cleveland Cavaliers’ convincing 116-95 win over the Detroit Pistons, coach Kenny Atkinson would be all smiles – well, not quite.

Sure, the Cavs forced the Pistons into 25 turnovers, driven by activity and on-ball pressure, and yes, the front court provided excellent rim protection, holding Detroit to their lowest total so far this season.

But Atkinson will be sweating a little more as another of his starters took a knock early in the game, thanks to his own player.

For now, though, Atkinson will travel to Boston on Wednesday night, pleased that his team pieced together arguably the best performance of the season thus far.

And it all stemmed from their role players off the bench.

“The first six minutes, we couldn't stop them and then we sub and we bring in Jaylon [Tyson] and [Craig Porter Jr.] and I thought they changed the game,” Atkinson said.

“Hopefully, I'm not overstating it, but their pressure started it. Jaylon started picking up full court, we started getting more activity, got a couple of steals, but I thought those two switched the game, and that's the role we're really shifting them to.

“You know, you have to be that high-intensity defensive pest, and they're buying into the role.”

Playing a little over 22 minutes, both Tyson and Porter Jr. didn’t set the game ablaze with points, though Porter pulled down seven rebounds and got three steals. However, the effort —the intangibles that every coach loves —was on full display as they played their roles well.

But there was no hiding the main focus for reporters post-game: the status of Sam Merrill.

Sam Merrill
Oct 26, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) celebrates after hitting a three point basket against the Milwaukee Bucks during the first half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The 29-year-old has been one of the Cavs’ most valuable players in the early contests, so hopefully this hip setback won’t linger long.

Merrill has drilled 18 threes in four games, shooting 51.7 percent from deep, plus his defensive pressure and ability to pick up full-court defense has made him one of the team’s most reliable players.

So, when he collided with Evan Mobley, his own teammate, inadvertently in the first half, it certainly caused concern. Merrill came up holding his hip, but continued to play through it until the Cavs made the call to take him out.

“He’s hurting,” Atkinson said.

“When Sam can’t come back in the game, it’s [painful]. I think Evan [Mobley] actually hit him in the hip. Somehow they [collided]. Looks like a hip pointer. Those are painful, so we’ll see. But he’s hurting right now.”

His status for Wednesday’s trip to Boston hasn’t been confirmed, but Atkinson doesn’t want to add Merrill to the list of sidelined players, which features Darius Garland and Max Strus.

There will be some positive news for Wednesday. Lonzo Ball should return, having missed the win over the Pistons due to injury management.

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John Hobbs
JOHN HOBBS

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