Sam Merrill’s night against Philadelphia ended early, and the Cavaliers had to pivot again.
Merrill will not return to Friday night’s game at Rocket Arena because of an elbow injury, and rookie Meleek Thomas took his spot to open the second half for Cleveland. It was Merrill’s first start of the season, but he never got going before leaving the game.
He went scoreless in the first half, missing all three of his field-goal attempts, including both 3-pointers. Merrill still managed 3 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 turnover before the injury shut him down.
Cleveland still carried a 62-54 lead into halftime after jumping on Philadelphia early with a 33-22 first quarter.
The Cavaliers were already shuffling the lineup before Merrill exited. Jarrett Allen was out with the right knee injury that knocked him out late in the first quarter of Wednesday’s loss in Oklahoma City, so Evan Mobley slid to center and Peyton Watson started at power forward.
Merrill’s injury adds another twist to a season that has already included a few bumps. On Oct. 13, soreness in his right elbow kept him out of the preseason finale against Orlando, and he also missed the Wine & Gold Scrimmage that Saturday. Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson later said on Oct. 20 that Merrill had gone through a full practice, and two days after that he was not on the injury report for the season opener in Philadelphia, a 114-106 loss.
Before Friday, Merrill had been a steady part of Cleveland’s rotation off the bench. Through eight games, he was averaging 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 34.1% from 3-point range.
His high point came Oct. 29 in a 114-111 loss at Atlanta, when he scored 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting and hit four of eight from deep. He also put up 10 points and 7 rebounds in 27 minutes Wednesday in Oklahoma City.
Injuries have interrupted his seasons before, too. Last year, he missed time with a sprained right hand in November and a left hamstring injury in April.
Merrill’s path in Cleveland has been a quick rise. The Cavaliers first signed him to a 10-day deal on March 3, 2023, then gave him a multi-year contract 11 days later. He re-signed in the 2025 offseason on a four-year, $38 million deal.
Thomas, meanwhile, keeps making the most of every chance. The rookie made his first NBA start Monday against Oklahoma City with Watson and Jaylon Tyson both out, and he responded with 17 points and 5 rebounds in 26 minutes during a 117-112 loss.
He had not played in the Oct. 22 opener. His NBA debut came four days later, when he scored 16 points in 19 minutes in a 127-125 overtime win over Minnesota.
A foot injury then sidelined him Oct. 29 at Atlanta, but he came back two days later with 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range, in a 136-111 win at Milwaukee. Through his first four NBA games, he averaged 14.0 points in 22.0 minutes.
Cleveland’s front office made room for Thomas in June, trading the No. 29 pick to Sacramento for the No. 34 pick and a future second-rounder. The Cavaliers used that No. 34 selection on Thomas, who averaged 15.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 37 games, including 21 starts, as a freshman at Arkansas.
After the draft, Thomas said he was going to “shoot the skin off the ball.” He signed a four-year, $9.3 million contract in July with $6.4 million guaranteed.
The Cavaliers entered Friday at 4-4 after losing three of their previous four games. They host the New York Knicks at 8 p.m. ET Saturday at Rocket Arena before heading to Charlotte on Monday.
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