Ty Jerome is off to promising start

Jerome has given the Cavs bench a lift.

Ty Jerome had an incomplete grade last season, in what was technically his first with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Jerome was an offseason signing by Cleveland in the summer of 2023 and appeared to be a depth addition following a solid campaign with the Golden State Warriors.

Things didn’t exactly materialize for Jerome with the Wine and Gold last year, though. He played just 15 minutes due to an ankle injury. Because of that, it was difficult to have anything close to lofty expectations for him coming into this year.

That aside, Jerome has had a fine start to the season for the 8-0 Cavs, all things considered.

Through the first eight games of the regular season, he’s averaged 9.4 points and 2.9 assists per contest and has had a true shooting rate of 69.5%.

Of course, aside from the New York Knicks on Monday, the Cavaliers haven’t been playing world-beaters to begin this season. The Milwaukee Bucks, who have had their issues, are without Khris Middleton, and Giannis Antetokounmpo was not active in Cleveland’s win on Monday. Cleveland largely controlled their games versus the Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards to start the 2024-25 slate, winning those contests by an average margin of 20.3 points. Cleveland was dominating in a 134-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers last week, who have their flaws as well.

All of that being said, Jerome has had an encouraging start. He’s had 23 assists to only five turnovers, and seems to have good chemistry in pick-and-rolls with Jarrett Allen. Seven of Jerome’s assists early on this year have been to Allen, who has been cashing in on those looks with authority at the rim.

Generally, Jerome has been playing at his pace and making good decisions. As he continues to get more and more comfortable, other perimeter threats should have quality looks from his deliveries.

Even in instances with him playing alongside Darius Garland or Donovan Mitchell, Jerome is going to be a solid playmaking option for Cleveland who can help both interior and perimeter targets have in-rhythm shots. He can make a plethora of feeds off of a live dribble, and that should continue to pay dividends in stretches for the Cavaliers.

It’s early so some of the splits are going to come down as November plays out for Jerome, one would have to assume. However, he’s converted 46.2% of his three-point attempts thus far, and on pull-up twos, he’s shot 65.8%. For a player in Jerome’s bench role, he’s given the club a nice lift in his minutes.

Defensively, Jerome might not have the playmaking capabilities of other defense-first guards, but Jerome has usually been in the right spots to take away in-rhythm looks, and his rotational feel and hands have made things happen. The sample size is small still, but Jerome having splits of 1.4 steals and 1.9 deflections per outing so far has been notable.

Now, Jerome was not great in bench minutes versus New York, had much of his production versus the Lakers in garbage time, and there could be some variance in his play as he gets re-acclimated. But, Jerome’s early-season performance should lead to optimism regarding his outlook with Cleveland.

Jerome typically makes good basketball plays, he competes, and has been dialed in early defensively as a helper. He’ll need to remain healthy for the most part, but to begin this season, he’s made an impact.

The Cavaliers hope that can continue.