Cleveland Cavaliers injury bug creates opportunities for young players

Merrill has hit 18 threes in four games, shooting 51.7 percent from deep, plus his defensive pressure and ability to pick up full-court defense have made him one of the team’s most called-upon players.

The 29-year-old, five-year veteran has averaged 17.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists thus far before tonight.

But the loss of Merrill could create an opportunity for Jaylon Tyson to be inserted back into the starting lineup against the Celtics.

Tyson has seen a lot of floor time so far and has worked extremely hard when on the court. Playing aggressive defense, stopping transition plays and crashing the boards, Tyson has gone about his business with no thrills.

His best all-around game so far was against the Brooklyn Nets, where he had eight points on 3-for-4 shooting, four rebounds and three steals.

For his role to truly shine, coach Kenny Atkinson won’t be focusing on Tyson’s statlines, but rather his work ethic and the things he does that don’t show up on the stats.

Such as limiting transition plays for the opposition, playing smart, but suffocating on-ball defense and on the offensive side, finding the right players for open shots.

But make no mistake, with another scorer out for the Cavs, the weight of responsibility will be heavier for Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley to put up big numbers, along with Jarrett Allen, who will also need to stay out of foul trouble.

Despite the injury woes for Cleveland, where Merrill joins Darius Garland and Max Strus on the sidelines, they have started more positively than the Celtics, who snapped an early three-game losing streak on Tuesday with a 122-90 win over New Orleans.