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Ty Jerome

Ty Jerome

Ty Jerome is making a strong case to become Cavs’ first Sixth Man of the Year

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The NBA introduced the Sixth Man of the Year during the 1982-1983 season, honoring the 76ers’ Bobby Jones with the inaugural award.

Jones – a 2019 Hall of Fame inductee who epitomized the selfless, team-first mentality of a sixth man – was an obvious choice. However, no player from the Cleveland Cavaliers has ever been honored. (Former Cav Kevin Love finished second in the Sixth Man voting in 2021-2022.)

If Ty Jerome keeps dazzling off the Cavs’ bench, that could very well change this year.

Jerome has been solid from the get-go this season. On opening night in Toronto, the Virginia alum had 14 points (on 6-of-7 shooting), six assists and two steals in 18 minutes of action. The following game, he scored 13 points in 15 minutes against Detroit.

Over the past few games, Jerome has found a higher gear.

In a spot start against New Orleans on Nov. 20, Jerome went off for a career-high 29 points in just 23 minutes, going 7-for-12 from 3-point range. He followed that up with a 26-point, six-assist performance off the bench against Toronto.

After the game, Jerome’s teammates couldn’t wait to talk him up.

“He does offer a calming presence,” Georges Niang said of Jerome. “When that guy comes in the game and can shoot transition threes, get to the rim, stop runs by the other team, and then his underrated ability to have timely stops … for Kenny to have another weapon off the bench that can come in and do that … it’s been huge for us throughout the year.”

If you’re a Cavs fan, there’s no shame in admitting that you didn’t know what to expect from Jerome this season. I know I didn’t.

Before coming to Cleveland, Jerome had a grand total of seven career starts under his belt in four NBA seasons, during which he had bounced around from Phoenix to Oklahoma City to Golden State. Prior to this year, his most productive season was the 2020-2021 campaign with OKC, when he averaged 10.7 points and 3.6 assists in 33 games.

The Cavaliers signed Jerome to a two-year, $4.6 million contract in July 2023, snatching the restricted free agent from Golden State. He never got a chance to prove himself last year, hurting his ankle during the Cavs’ 2023-2024 home opener. The injury eventually required surgery.

This year has been a different story.

After the Cavs’ 122-108 win over Toronto – which improved their record to 17-1 – Jarrett Allen talked about the resilience that Jerome has displayed in battling back from a season-ending injury.

“To go through a whole year and not even touch the court three times, and then to be ready when the next season comes and play at a high level like he is – that’s tough to do,” Allen told reporters. “You have to lock in when you’re hurt; you have to see everybody succeed without you. But now he’s here and he hasn’t missed a beat.”

Allen described Jerome’s play with one word: “Incredible.”

“But during the summer he showed that he could do it. And now he’s [maintaining that same level of] hooping. Basically he’s doing everything: downtown shots, passing the ball, he’s doing it all. It’s incredible.”

Allen’s favorite thing about Jerome is “him as a person.”

“Good dude. Always about the right things. Always about making sure that his teammates are in a good space mentally. Just a good dude overall.”

As of Nov. 26, Jerome is averaging 12.6 points, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game – all career highs – in 19 minutes of game action. He’s leading the NBA in 3-point percentage, shooting at a torrid 54.4% clip from beyond the arc.

Jerome also is leading the NBA in true shooting percentage, a measure of a player’s overall scoring efficiency that takes into account field goals, 3-point shots and free throws.

Jerome has been so good lately that Tristan Thompson called him “our version of Luka Dončić.”

Just bear with him, OK?

“He’s a big guard, he plays at his own pace – you cannot speed him up – and when he gets to the rim it’s either a bucket or he’s gonna find someone,” Thompson said after the Toronto game. “His offensive rating is off the charts.”

Niang added: “Ty, I love you, you’re not Luka, but you’re really freaking good.”

Cleveland Cavaliers

Cavs’ depth will continue to be tested as injuries start to mount

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The NBA season is a grind. In some respects, it’s a war of attrition.

For championship contenders, getting to the NBA Finals is as much about staying healthy as it is about anything else. (Just ask the Cavs, Knicks and 76ers, among others.)

After an injury-riddled 2023 season, the Cavaliers have been relatively healthy so far this year. Although Max Strus has yet to play a regular-season game, the Cavs have had the luxury of the “Core Four” being healthy and available most nights.

Kenny Atkinson has leaned into the team’s depth to keep his star players as rested as possible. Donovan Mitchell is averaging 31.1 minutes per game – a career low. Likewise, Darius Garland’s usage is at a career low. Evan Mobley’s minutes are down, and Jarrett Allen’s average minutes (30.2) are the lowest they’ve been since he played in Brooklyn.

The Cavs’ depth was on full display Sunday night against Charlotte. With a showdown in Boston looming on the horizon, Atkinson gave Mitchell the night off. Sam Merrill was out due to left-ankle inflammation.

Sliding into the starting lineup, Ty Jerome was brilliant, as he has been all season.

Jerome matched a career high with 24 points and dished out eight assists. Georges Niang had 13 points off the bench, while Craig Porter Jr. chipped in seven points. J.T. Thor even got into the action, scoring once on a strong drive to the basket late in the game.

Isaac Okoro started the game but hurt his ankle in the first half. Okoro didn’t return.

Dean Wade had three points and four rebounds before leaving the game with an ankle injury as well.

Still, the Cavs were able to notch their 15th consecutive victory to start the season, on the backs of strong performances from Garland (25 points and 12 assists), Allen (21 points and 15 rebounds) and Mobley (23 points and 11 rebounds), complemented by the bench bunch.

“We had five rotation guys out tonight if you think about it, with Dean and Isaac going out with the ankle injuries, so it speaks to the depth that we have and the skill level we have,” Atkinson said after the Cavs’ 128-114 win. “Kind of one through 15, which is a deep, deep team. Everybody can pretty much shoot it too.”

That depth – and the Cavs’ perfect record – will be tested this week.

Wade already has been ruled out for Tuesday’s game in Boston, which is the first night of a back-to-back. Merrill continues to be day-to-day, while Okoro is iffy for the showdown in Beantown.

To make matters worse, Caris LeVert is questionable with left-knee inflammation.

Atkinson knew this day would come.

“I think we did the best we could with minutes and distributing minutes – Donovan being part of the plan – and we’ll keep doing it,” Atkinson told reporters. “Going forward, you can’t fight the schedule. You just can’t. You’re gonna end up being shorthanded too much.”

He added: “This is a tough league. This is a really tough league, physically. I don’t know if the fans can even grasp how hard it is. … We know it’s a heavy load on us and we’re doing the best we can to manage it.”

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Hornets at Cavs: Mitchell resting, Merrill still out with ankle inflammation

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The 14-0 Cavaliers host the 5-7 Charlotte Hornets tonight at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

The Cavs are coming off a 144-126 win over Chicago Friday night. The 18-point margin of victory doesn’t tell the whole story, as the Cavs struggled to get separation against a gunslinging Bulls team that ranks fourth in made 3-pointers.

Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 37 points. Darius Garland had 29, Jarrett Allen had 24 and Georges Niang added 14 in a spot start for Evan Mobley, who was sick.

  1. Let’s talk about tonight’s game:
    1. Donovan Mitchell will sit this one out in the name of load management. It looks like Kenny Atkinson is resting him for Tuesday night’s showdown in Boston.
    2. Sam Merrill is out again. Merrill has missed the last two games with left-ankle soreness.
    3. Today’s official injury report indicates that Merrill is out due to left-ankle “inflammation.”
    4. Max Strus remains out with a right-ankle sprain.
    5. Ankle soreness and ankle sprains might seem like minor injuries at first glance, but Cavs fans are well-aware that an ankle injury can wipe out an entire season. Look no further than Ty Jerome last year for painful proof.
    6. Speaking of Jerome, the Cavs haven’t announced their starting lineup for tonight’s game yet, but I’m wondering if Jerome is a candidate for a spot start in lieu of Mitchell.
    7. Evan Mobley missed Friday night’s game due to an illness. Mobley is listed as probable tonight. With Mitchell out, you’d think Mobley would play if he’s anywhere near 100% or even 90%.
    8. Assuming Mobley plays, one possible starting combo would be Garland, Okoro, Niang, Mobley and Allen. That would allow Jerome to spell Garland. We’re certain to see more of Craig Porter Jr. tonight as well.
    9. Caris LeVert is another option for the starting lineup. It’ll be interesting to see what the mad scientist comes up with.
    10. This is a rare “rest-advantage” game for the Cavaliers. Charlotte is on the second night of a back-to-back.
    11. The Hornets edged Milwaukee 115-114 last night.
    12. LaMelo Ball is off to a strong start. Ball is averaging a career-high 29.6 points per game, 6.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds.
Ty Jerome

Two words: Ty Jerome

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When Ty Jerome injured his ankle in the second game of the 2023-2024 season, most Cavs fans probably didn’t realize what they were missing. I know I didn’t.

The Cavaliers signed Jerome to a two-year, $5 million contract in July 2023, snatching him from Golden State. At the time, the Virginia alum was a restricted free agent, after playing for one season with the Warriors. Golden State made him a qualifying offer but wasn’t willing to match Cleveland’s bid.

Since his NBA debut with Phoenix in 2019, Jerome has spent most of his career coming off the bench. Prior to this year, Jerome’s most productive season was with Oklahoma City in 2020, when he averaged 10.7 points and 3.6 assists a game. That season, Jerome shot 42% from 3-point range.

The severe high-ankle sprain that Jerome sustained during the Cavaliers’ 2023 home opener sidelined him for the rest of the season, so fans never got a chance to see why the Cavs snagged him from the Warriors – until now.

Thus far, Jerome is averaging 10 points, 3.3 assists and two rebounds per game for the Cavs. According to StatDefender, Jerome leads the NBA in most points per possession (1.56) as the ball handler on the pick-and-roll.

And the most impressive stat: He’s doing all of that in 16 minutes of playing time per game.

Even when he’s not putting up noteworthy numbers, Jerome knows how – and when – to make an impact. A perfect example is the Cavs’ 105-100 win over Brooklyn on Saturday.

Jerome had four points and five assists in that game. They all came in the fourth quarter, when the Cavs were digging out from under a double-digit deficit.

That wasn’t lost on head coach Kenny Atkinson.

“Ty was really good at the end of the game,” Atkinson said afterward. “ … Ty’s been a playmaker. You normally don’t think of Ty in that vein. You think more of a connector, smart player. But he’s making plays, and that’s completely surprising to me. That was a hell of a finish, and we needed it.”

While he acknowledged that Jerome “doesn’t have a great reputation as a defender,” Atkinson has been pleasantly surprised by Jerome’s defense as well.

“He’s defending this year, as well as he’s ever defended,” Atkinson said, . “ … He’s been outstanding.”

Through 11 games, Jerome is averaging 1.4 steals per game – a career high. Atkinson said he marvels at Jerome’s ability to generate turnovers, even if his techniques are a bit unconventional.

“He’s got great hands. Even if he gets beat, he pokes from behind. Then he’s got that one if a guy’s coming down really fast at him, he just dives in there and goes for the steal. … He’s got this weird knack for stealing the ball in an unusual way.”

Jerome’s clutch performance down the stretch Saturday night prompted this tweet from teammate Tristan Thompson, which inspired the headline for this article:

Those two words say it all.

Kenny Atkinson

Kenny Atkinson has been a breath of fresh air so far

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Heading into his first season as head coach of the Cavaliers, Kenny Atkinson said he planned to embrace the team’s depth.

So far, Atkinson has delivered on that pledge.

Unlike his predecessor – who managed each regular-season game with tight, playoff-style rotations – Atkinson has turned to his bench early and often.

The overall result has been a balanced attack, a free-flowing offense and two wins against weaker teams to start the 2024-2025 season.

The reserves amassed 64 points in Cleveland’s Game 1 blowout in Toronto, led by Caris LeVert with 19 points and Ty Jerome with 16.

While the bench wasn’t nearly as prolific in Friday night’s home opener against the Pistons, Atkinson utilized seven reserves in the 113-101 Cleveland victory.

LeVert chipped in nine points in the win over Detroit, while Jerome again provided a huge spark off the bench with 13 points and four assists.

LeVert, Sam Merrill, Georges Niang, Isaac Okoro and Jerome each played more than 15 minutes.

If it were any other team, this might not seem like earth-shattering news. But Atkinson’s rotations have been a refreshing change of pace compared to former Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who lacked trust in his reserves and refused to develop his younger players.

Jerome, in particular, already has emerged as the kind of player who can make a big impact off the bench.

“He’s been good since we started in open gym in September,” Atkinson told reporters after the game. “He’s been fantastic. I think that injury was a little bit of a wakeup call. I know he’s dedicated a lot of work to his body and getting healthy. It’s paying off.”

 

Ty Jerome

Ty Jerome Out Indefinitely After Ankle Surgery

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Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on Jan. 23 to treat a right-ankle impingement, the team said.

The 6-5 guard played in the first two games of the season for the Cavs, chipping in two points in the opening-night win at Brooklyn and two points against Oklahoma City on Oct. 27. The fifth-year guard from the University of Virginia has been anchoring the team’s injury report ever since.

“Recent imaging at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health, in addition to repeated evaluation and rehabilitation by the Cavaliers medical staff, confirmed that surgery was the best course of action to heal the affected area,” the Cavaliers said in a statement. “Jerome will be out indefinitely and his return to basketball activities will be updated as appropriate.”

Cleveland signed Jerome to a two-year, $5 million deal this past July, outbidding the Warriors, who tried to make him a restricted free agent. In his first and only season with Golden State in 2022-2023, Jerome averaged 6.9 points and three assists in 18 minutes off the bench. Jerome shot 48.8% from the field and 39% from 3-point range last season.

With Jerome out indefinitely and Ricky Rubio retired, it will be interesting to see what the Cavs do to add more depth at the point-guard position.

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