Tipping off their preseason against the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night at Rocket Arena, the Cleveland Cavaliers were surprisingly without starting guard candidate Sam Merrill.

In his postgame press conference following the 118-117 loss, Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson provided an update as to why: “Yeah, he's got a little soreness in his abductor, but he wanted to play. I just said no, it's not worth it. We'll see. Like, I’m just gonna be super, super cautious with him in the preseason.”

Merrill is vying for a spot in the starting five as Darius Garland and Max Strus recover from their respective injuries , so this seems to be a minor setback.

Since he had to sit out, Jaylon Tyson found himself in the mix with Donovan Mitchell, De'Andre Hunter, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. T

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