Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers will represent his team in the upcoming three-point contest during NBA All-Star Weekend.
The other day, Mitchell said he is only participating in the competition because his teammate Sam Merrill “didn’t want to do it.”
However, Chris Fedor is reporting that Merrill isn’t in the contest because he did not receive an invitation to participate from the NBA.
#Cavs sharpshooter Sam Merrill did not receive an invitation to participate in this year’s 3-Point Contest during NBA All-Star Weekend.
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) February 7, 2024
Mitchell recently said, “I tried to get [Merrill] out. But he just wanted to chill with his family. So I figured, why not go out there and win it for him?”
But Fedor’s reporting says that Merrill never even had a chance to turn the league down because he wasn’t invited to the annual event.
That’s a bit surprising considering the year that Merrill has had.
He is averaging 8.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game in 2023-24, shooting 44.1% from the field and a strong 44.3% from the three-point line.
Over the last few months, Merrill has made a name for himself as a dangerous three-point sharpshooter, doing better than everyone else on the team.
If he had signed up for the three-point contest, he would have had a great chance of winning.
Merrill has had a very impressive season but he is still not a household name, which may have contributed to the league not inviting him to appear in the three-point competition.
But if Merrill keeps playing like this and the Cavaliers continue to find a lot of success, he could soon be considered one of the most promising rising stars in the league.
Mitchell will be the Cavaliers’ sole player at All-Star Weekend but could he be joined by Merrill next year?
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