SALT LAKE CITY — Sam Merrill knows the reality of what his basketball future will likely hold.

The former Bountiful High and Utah State Aggies star guard is fully aware that whenever the 2020 NBA draft is held, there’s about as good a chance he won’t be among the 60 players selected as there is he will, that to realize his dream of playing in the best league in the world, he may have to stick as a free agent with a club.

That said, there’s certainly conversation around his name during a time when there would traditionally be about a month remaining before the late-June draft. He’s been on the edges of the NBA radar for a few years, but now he’s firmly on it thanks at least in part to his performance during the 2020 Mountain West Conference Tournament.

Over the course of three games, he averaged 27.7 points, and in the championship contest on March 7, he hit a dead-eye 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left to lift the Aggies over No. 5 San Diego State and grab an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Utah State’s Sam Merrill hoist the trophy for MVP after defeating San Diego State in the Mountain West Conference championship game Saturday, March 7, 2020, in Las Vegas. | AP

At that point, numerous draft analysts mentioned Merrill as a sleeper NBA prospect, one who might be good enough to carve out a role in the league even though he just turned 24 on May 15 and, by his own admission, is limited athletically.

On March 10, ESPN draft expert Mike Schmitz highlighted Merrill, writing, “Whether or not Merrill gets drafted, we’re in an era when some teams are looking for players more than prospects. They aren’t quite as excited to spend years and resources to develop raw prospects only for another franchise to eventually reap the benefits. Thanks to his size, shooting, IQ and ability to function on and off the ball, Merrill could step into an NBA game tomorrow and have an impact.”

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Merrill saw Schmitz’s assessment, and said earlier this month, “It was exciting and it was good to hear and see and I certainly think I helped myself during the conference tournament, but at the end of the day, I understand where I’m at, I understand who I am as a player and as a prospect. 

I know that nothing’s a given and I’m going to have to really go out there and prove to NBA teams that I belong, so while it was nice to help myself and get onto people’s radar, I know there’s obviously still so much left to be done.”

Then, of course, the day after Schmitz’s analysis was published, the sports world came to a halt as Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus, and the NCAA Tournament was canceled. While Merrill was bummed his team ended up not making their second straight appearance in the Big Dance, he did see a silver lining out of it as far as his future is concerned.

“It would’ve been nice to have that opportunity, but at the same time, I felt like I helped myself in the conference tournament and I was able to leave a mark. A lot (NBA) teams’ last memories of the college season was what we were able to do in the conference tournament.” — Sam Merrill

“It would’ve been nice to have that opportunity, but at the same time, I felt like I helped myself in the conference tournament and I was able to leave a mark,” he said. “A lot (NBA) teams’ last memories of the college season was what we were able to do in the conference tournament.”

As the coronavirus pandemic continues and events such as the Portsmouth Invitational were canceled and team workouts put on hold, Merrill and NBA team executives have resorted to Zoom meetings to get to know each other.

Roughly two times per day for the past few weeks, Merrill has met with an NBA team’s big wigs, where he said they mostly ask about his upbringing and college career. He did say some have brought up a player comparison Schmitz mentioned in March: Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic.

Utah State’s Sam Merrill plays against San Diego State in MWC championship game Saturday, March 7, 2020, in Las Vegas. | AP

Merrill is quick to say he’s not on Doncic’s level, but does acknowledge similarities in the way he tries to create shots for himself, his basketball IQ and his lethal step-back 3-pointer.

“It’s interesting to hear,” he said. “I know what teams are saying when they say that. They’re not saying I’m going to be Luka. They’re just saying that the style is similar.”

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That said, Merrill noted the comparison gives him confidence that he has a chance to make it in an ever-evolving NBA. As of mid-May, he said he had met with most of the league’s 30 teams.

At this point, Merrill said everyone is still essentially in wait-and-see mode as far as a timeline for when the draft might be. That, of course, is predicated upon if the NBA season resumes and when it concludes. Merrill hopes there’s some sort of traditional team workout period at some point, as “that would obviously be helpful for me.”

Until then, the focus is trying to make the NBA, and if it doesn’t work out, he’ll cross other bridges of continuing his basketball career when he gets to them.

“Me and my agent, our only focus right now is the NBA because they think I can play and I think I can, too,” he said. “If it doesn’t work out, then Europe will always be there and hopefully I would be able to have some success over there, but at this point, I’m just trying to hopefully make the NBA.”

Utah State’s Sam Merrill reacts after sinking a 3-point shot in the final moments against San Diego State during Mountain West Conference championship game Saturday, March 7, 2020, in Las Vegas. | AP
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