The faces on the The Cleveland Cavaliers The bench will be very different from last season.

Cleveland has a new head coach in Kenny Atkinson, who will be tasked with developing a new offense for the Wine and Gold. However, the Cavs have added other new names to their coaching staff, such as Johnnie Bryant and DeMarre Carroll.

Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill appeared on the Locked On Cavs podcast and revealed that he’s really looking forward to working with this new staff.

“I’m really excited about the group we have and the new staff,” Merrill said. “We haven’t been able to spend a lot of time together because Kenny was helping the French national team. But I had a couple of workouts in Vegas during Summer League and then I had a couple of workouts here in Cleveland over the last couple of weeks.”

Merrill noted that the team has a good understanding of what the new offense might look like, but said that based on some of his early impressions, the team will be very intentional with its offensive game plan.

“We haven’t really gotten into the system or the plays or anything like that yet, but definitely we’re trying to play a certain way. We’ve been trying to simulate decision-making, quick decisions, playing to our advantages and just trying to play the right way offensively, and I think that’s really going to benefit us.”

Sam Merrill shoots a three

January 22, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) makes a three-pointer against the Orlando Magic during the first quarter at the Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

It’s exciting to think about what Cleveland’s offense could look like with all the threats it has.

Obviously, Donovan Mitchell, Garland of Darius, Jarrett Allenand Evan Mobley will be the focal point of their scheme, but role players like Merrill still have a big role to play. Seeing how Atkinson and the staff utilize his unique skill set will be fun to watch, and Merrill seems to agree.

“I’m a big fan of the group we have and the staff so far. I look forward to getting to know them in the future,” Merrill said.

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