Sam Merrill
2020–21 to 2025–26 · 6 seasons · active
NBA player comparison
Sam Merrill vs. Shabazz Napier: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
Shabazz Napier ranks higher in career impact so far
Shabazz Napier
2014–15 to 2019–20 · 6 seasons
Impact comparison
Box impact estimates points per 100 possessions above each season's league average. Higher is better. Career ranks and average league finishes work the other way: lower is better.
#1942Career Impact Rank to datePeak-weighted regular-season rank#1723Leads
+0.8Peak box impact so farEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.9Leads
-0.1LeadsAverage box impact to dateEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-1.0
#82LeadsBest league finish#99
+122 ptsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+155 ptsLeads
225Games345Leads
Career Impact Rank places Shabazz Napier #1723 and Sam Merrill #1942. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three.
Regular season only. Impact figures are estimates; small gaps are not exact. Playoffs, awards and titles do not determine the verdict.
Career Impact RankSee exactly how both rankings are calculatedSam Merrill210.673 · No. 1,942Shabazz Napier178.413 · No. 1,723
Only the three league-finish windows below determine Career Impact Rank. Career Value and peak impact are separate measures; neither adds points to this calculation. Lower composite scores rank higher.
Sam Merrill
210.673 composite · No. 1,942 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 822025–26No. 1002023–24No. 2612024–25 | 147.667 | 50% | 73.833 |
| Best 5No. 822025–26No. 1002023–24No. 2612024–252 open slots × No. 390 | 244.600 | 30% | 73.380 |
| Best 10No. 822025–26No. 1002023–24No. 2612024–257 open slots × No. 390 | 317.300 | 20% | 63.460 |
73.833 + 73.380 + 63.460= 210.673
Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 390, this player's stored replacement finish.
Shabazz Napier
178.413 composite · No. 1,723 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 992018–19Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1372017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1772016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 137.667 | 50% | 68.833 |
| Best 5No. 992018–19Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1372017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1772016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2002019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 3132015–16Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 185.200 | 30% | 55.560 |
| Best 10No. 992018–19Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1372017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1772016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2002019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 3132015–16Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 3152014–15Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate4 open slots × No. 365 | 270.100 | 20% | 54.020 |
68.833 + 55.560 + 54.020= 178.413
Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 365, this player's stored replacement finish.
Averages, contributions, and totals are displayed to three decimal places. The ranking calculation keeps full source precision. Read the full method →
Full comparison · Career comparison
Understand the numbers
Start with impact, then compare playing time and skills. Team results add context. These are not categories to tally into a winner.
1 · Ranking evidence
Impact: who ranks higher, and why?
Career Impact Rank compares entire regular-season careers across NBA history. It combines average league places across the best three, five, and ten seasons, weighted 50%, 30%, and 20%. A lower rank or average place is better.
| Metric | Sam Merrill | Shabazz Napier |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact Rank to datePeak-weighted regular-season rank | #1942 | #1723Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 147.7 | 137.7Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 244.6 | 185.2Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 317.3 | 270.1Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | Sam Merrill | Shabazz Napier |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #1359 | #1281Better result for this metric. |
| Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +0.8 | +0.9Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | -0.1 | +0.1Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | Unavailable | -0.6 |
| Best 10 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +122 pts | +155 ptsBetter result for this metric. |
| Seasons ranked No. 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Top-five impact seasons | 0 | 0 |
| Top-ten impact seasons | 0 | 0 |
2 · Playing time and responsibility
How much did each player take on?
Read games and minutes alongside impact. Offensive usage is the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on court. More usage is not automatically better.
| Metric | Sam Merrill | Shabazz Napier |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 225 | 345 |
| Minutes | 4,197 | 5,986 |
3 · Individual skills
Where does each player have an advantage?
These are each player's averages across up to ten best seasons. Career Impact Rank gives the Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights, giving the most weight to the highest peak. The model accounts for position, role, pace, playing time, and team results. Green marks the better result for a metric, including lower turnover rates. Workload and shot-selection measures stay neutral. These rows are not votes toward the ranking.
Shooting
True shooting includes two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws.
| Metric | Sam Merrill | Shabazz Napier |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 60.7%Better result for this metric. | 53.2% |
| True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 60.8%Better result for this metric. | 52.3% |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Sam Merrill | Shabazz Napier |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 42.4%Better result for this metric. | 39.7% |
| Three-point percentage | 39.7%Better result for this metric. | 34.5% |
| Free-throw percentage | 89.0%Better result for this metric. | 81.5% |
Passing
Assist rate is the share of teammates’ made shots assisted while the player is on court. Read turnovers alongside offensive workload; lower turnover rate is generally better.
| Metric | Sam Merrill | Shabazz Napier |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 12.0% | 21.2%Better result for this metric. |
| Assists per game | 1.6 | 2.5Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Passing
| Metric | Sam Merrill | Shabazz Napier |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 6.5%Better result for this metric. | 17.1% |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Sam Merrill | Shabazz Napier |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 5.9% | 6.0%Better result for this metric. |
| Rebounds per game | 2.0Better result for this metric. | 1.9 |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | Sam Merrill | Shabazz Napier |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 1.3% | 2.4%Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | Sam Merrill | Shabazz Napier |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 0.6% | 0.6% |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Sam Merrill | Shabazz Napier |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 8.0Better result for this metric. | 7.1 |
4 · Team context, not ranking inputs
What happened with and without them?
A verified with/without comparison is unavailable for this scope. We do not substitute another season’s observations.
Four separate questions
Impact, winning, playoffs, and awards
These are different ways to understand a career. Only Regular Season Impact determines the hussEyquation verdict. The other three sections add basketball context without adding points or changing the rank.
Career to date. At least one player is active. Every total below stops after the latest completed season in this data; nothing is projected.
Regular Season Impact
Shabazz Napier ranks higher in career impact so far.
Sam MerrillMetricShabazz Napier
#1942Career Impact Rank to datePeak-weighted regular-season rank#1723Leads
+0.8Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.9Leads
Not availableBest 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-0.6
+122 ptsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+155 ptsLeads
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
Sam Merrill leads every available measure below.
Sam MerrillMetricShabazz Napier
317LeadsListed-team regular-season wins248
65.8%LeadsListed-team winning percentage45.4%
4Leads50-win team seasons0
1Leads60-win team seasons0
6LeadsPlayoff team seasons3
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Final records for every listed team-season. A traded season can include more than one team.
Playoff Résumé
Sam Merrill leads every available measure below.
Sam MerrillMetricShabazz Napier
4LeadsPlayoff appearances3
43LeadsPlayoff games9
34LeadsTeam playoff wins1
1LeadsFinals appearances0
1LeadsChampionships0
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
No recorded measure separates these careers.
Sam MerrillMetricShabazz Napier
Not availableAll-StarNot available
Not availableMVPNot available
Not availableAll-NBANot available
Not availableAll-DefenseNot available
Not availableDPOYNot available
Not availableRookie of the YearNot available
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Major regular-season honors are recognition, not inputs to the impact ranking.
How each context field is counted
- Listed-team regular-season wins
- The sum of each listed team's final wins in every season the player represented that team.
- Listed-team winning percentage
- Those team wins divided by those teams' total regular-season games.
- 50- and 60-win team seasons
- Listed team-seasons that finished with at least 50 or 60 wins. Shortened seasons are not projected to 82 games.
- Team seasons reaching playoffs
- Listed team-seasons in which that team qualified for the playoffs.
- Playoff appearances and games
- Postseasons and games in which the player appeared.
- Team playoff wins
- Team wins from those postseasons. They describe team results, not individual credit.
- Finals appearances and championships
- Seasons when the player appeared in the playoffs for the finalist or champion.
- Awards
- Recorded NBA selections and major regular-season honors. A zero means the source records none; Not available means the source field is missing.
Source and scope Basketball Reference, NBA seasons 1950–51 through 2025–26, accessed 2026-10-09. Active-career totals are results to date through the latest completed season in the source.
Career Shape Explorer
How the careers developed
Follow every regular season by NBA experience or age. This view describes the path; it does not create another verdict.
Sam MerrillShabazz NapierPeak seasonHistorical source qualification
Career to date. Active careers stop at the latest completed season; no future seasons are projected.
Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average
Striped bars mark seasons with fewer than 40 games. A dashed mark means that player had no season at the aligned point.
Season-by-season evidenceRead both careers at the same stage
Every observed season keeps its age, era-centered impact estimate, league rank when qualified, career-stage label, and exact evidence link. A missing career point stays missing.
Sam MerrillNBA seasonShabazz Napier
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Observed values come from the accepted season comparison record. Historical source qualifications stay attached to affected seasons. Missing means no NBA season exists at that aligned point; it is never interpolated. Missing is not the same as estimated.