Ty Jerome: From Afterthought to Indispensable
After a season-long demotion in 2023-24, Ty Jerome is making up for lost time under Kenny Atkinson.
The Cavs are the talk of the town, and rightly so. Kenny Atkinson has embraced their player continuity but pulled levers that Bickerstaff never quite reached for, to the tune of the #2 offense and #8 defense through their first 21 games.
Most notable has been the insertion of Ty Jerome as back-up PG. Jerome's career renaissance has seemingly come out of left field, but murmurings out of Cavs' training camp in early October foretold the crucial role he would play in Atkinson's new regime. He spent all of last season riding the pine, playing a mere 15 minutes in two games despite being on guaranteed money. A change in leadership immediately elevated his rotational standing, supplanting Craig Porter Jr. as the emergent back-up to Darius Garland.
The results thus far speak for themselves, and his 27-point first half against New Orleans on November 21 served as quite the exclamation point. To describe Jerome's play as revelatory would be an overstatement, as we certainly saw him get busy under Steve Kerr in 2023. Although he has never quite been empowered to this degree. Simply put, he's playing free within the bounds of a role perfectly suited to his M.O. He's neither overburdened nor under-served, and good things happen when that kind of balance manifests.
Ty is a read and react guard that is unafraid to pound the rock when the circumstances demand, which just so happens to supplement the Garland/Mitchell backcourt perfectly. He can take the reins as lead initiator in spurts, as well as rove along the perimeter away from the ball and draw defensive attention as a shooter.
In his possessions as a primary facilitator, Jerome has been surveying the floor with pin-point accuracy. His effectiveness in that regard is likely catalyzed by Atkinson's offensive structure as well as purposeful emphasis of Allen & Mobley getting on the move north to south in the halfcourt. Ty exploits gaps inside the arc to perfection. Watch in the pick & roll possessions below how he brings the ball above his head or takes his second step to delay the pass by a split-second. In doing so, he draws both the defender on his hip and the low-man an extra half-step from the basket, before dumping it off to Mobley or Allen for free lunch money at the rim.
Jerome delicately walks the line between being a scoring threat and a facilitator as a driver. When greeted by the help, he'll routinely (and masterfully) plant his pivot foot off a jump-stop to work the angles and broaden his decision tree. Prematurely leaving one's feet when getting downhill is a habit that is far too commonplace. Ty has his wits about him even when giving up the dribble - staying grounded and wading through his passing options, often as they are still manifesting.
Jerome's shooting has been unsustainably nuclear to this point, but that only helps his cause. All of his strengths on the ball become amplified, and his pull-up shot-making incentivizes bigs to play up in screening actions.
It is rare to see a role player promoted from borderline cheerleader to essential personnel in a matter of months. It just goes to show how a shift in coaching philosophy can completely up-end, and realign, even a playoff-proven rotation.
The following film is from the Cavs first 11 games (up to November 11th), but provides a perfect snapshot into the offensive command Jerome is exhibiting night to night.
Individual Scoring
Two-Point Scoring / Inside The Arc
66.7% from floater range (3 to 10 feet)
63.2% on mid-range jumpers (10 to 16 feet)
Jerome is making runners off one-foot under duress look elementary.
Three-Point Shooting
40.5% on catch & shoot three-point field goals (36 total attempts)
54.5% on pull-up three-point field goals (34 total attempts)
Ty has been lights out from range with even splits on pull-ups & spot-ups, which bodes well in catalyzing his dribble penetration.
Table-Setting
On-Ball Chemistry with Evan Mobley & Jarrett Allen
Ty’s synergy with Allen and Mobley out of various sets is a feather in Atkinson’s cap for enabling and leveraging his poise when the ball is in his hands.
Corner Kicks & Finding Open Shooters
Jerome is acutely aware of his options at every turn, either making the skip pass early or biding his time until clean looks for his teammates emerge.
Finding Cutters in Motion Offense Sets
An ability to ad lib in a halfcourt motion offense, and do so methodically, is invaluable from a replacement-level guard.