Merrill and Burke in the early Solomons

How would Admiral Merrill and Arleigh Burke have fared in the early Solomon Islands cruiser battles?

Probably better, because their aggression and maneuvering would reduce the effectiveness of long-range Japanese torpedo attacks.

Merrill and Burke brought a more aggressive and maneuver-conscious style than some early-war commanders. Their later performance around Bougainville and Empress Augusta Bay supports that judgment. Some early American commanders had not yet shifted fully into wartime habits. Routine zigzagging mattered even without exact intelligence on Long Lance range because it disrupted distant torpedo solutions. The maneuver did not make a ship invulnerable, but it forced an attacker closer to regain a firing solution. That shorter range increased the chance that Japanese destroyers or cruisers would be detected and engaged before launching effectively.