The Cleveland Cavaliers’ acquisition of Peyton Watson solved the team’s need for athleticism in a major way. His presence on the court should immediately be felt and will likely be put to great use beside that of James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen within a stacked starting five.

His ability to get out in transition, an area in which the former Nugget scored 1.32 Points Per Possession, which led Denver by a pretty substantial margin, could be especially impactful. But in moving Max Strus to acquire him, Cleveland lost a very good off-ball mover as Strus was almost always in motion. 

Not only was he a threat to attack teams off of backdoor cuts, he was also one of Cleveland’s better off-screen shot makers. Whether he made or missed these types of opportunities, Strus drew attention at a pretty high level. The opposition knew they had to chase him around screens. It’s this loss in off-ball gravity that could be felt almost immediately. 

Watson, who is coming off a breakout season, should help in terms of off-ball gravity. Especially after knocking down over 41.1% of his attempts from long distance. He was one of the best in basketball in the corners. That said, Cleveland should look no further than an in-house option in Sam Merrill to help replace some of the off-ball movement the aforementioned Strus brought to the table.

Ladies and gentlemen, Sam Merrill scored 1.48 PPP as a cutter in 2025-26. He was 3rd on the team in this area. The only players to score at a more efficient clip than Merrill's 75.0% (21/28) were Donovan Mitchell (77.4%) & Thomas Bryant (83.8%). But it's deeper than made baskets. It's about the sheer gravity that he operates with.

Merrill's mere presence on the court is enough to completely warp the way defenses play the others around him. He placed within the 99th percentile in off-ball gravity in 2025-26, ranking 5th out of 582 qualifying players in this category. The overarching reason for that will forever be intertwined with his knack for drilling the long ball, and why shouldn’t it be? The Utah State product canned a staggering 42.1% of his triples last year, good for 11th in the NBA.

That said, the impact he has on overall spacing is perhaps his greatest quality. He moves so well without the ball in his hands. He remains one of the biggest threats in the league coming off screens, scoring a team-leading 1.28 Points Per Possessions when coming off a pick. Merrill also placed within the 96th percentile in off-screen impact per 75.

While the defense is busy chasing him around in the half court, it’s forced to make tough decisions, thus freeing up drivers and other cutters beside Merrill. They are often placed into scenarios in which they must choose who to divert their attention to. He cuts baseline, he’ll attack you off a backdoor, and of course, off-screen, but where we see him antagonize opponents most is off of 45 cuts.

It's the versatile nature of Merrill's off-ball movement that renders him a sometimes indispensable part of Kenny Atkinson's rotation.

With Watson in town, I have little doubt that Cleveland’s starting five will thrive in terms of movement but with the absence of Strus, Merrill’s ability to attack opponents off-ball whether as a shot maker or cutter needs to be leaned on more frequently.