Cleveland Cavs guard Ty Jerome has scored a combined 55 points in his last two games off the bench while quickly ascending into the league’s Sixth Man of the Year race. Amid a historic start, Jarrett Allen knows Cavs fans appreciate; Jerome had his first 20+ point performance of the regular season in a 136-117 win against the Golden State Warriors on November 8. Since then, he has had three more 20+ point games this past week, including a season-high 29 points in a 128-100 victory against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Jerome is at the top of HoopsHype’s global rating for Sixth Man of the Year, per HoopsHype’s X, formerly Twitter.
Ty combined for 11-of-20 three-pointers in his last two games as Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson needed a moment to gather his thoughts when a reporter asked about the impressive stretch for the backup guard, per SB Nation’s Jackson Flickinger.
“I mean, geez,” Kenny Atkinson said while gathering his thoughts. “I’ll put it this way, it’s hard to take him out of the game, even at the end there. You know, we were expecting Ty to be a role player, and he’s just pushing us [to play him more].”
Jerome is averaging 22.2 points on 64.2% shooting, 5.0 assists, and 1.2 steals in his last four games.
Ty Jerome’s offense impresses Kenny Atkinson, Cavs teammates
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The 2024-25 Cavs’ undefeated 15-0 start stretched to 17-1 for the best regular-season beginning in franchise history. And as Ty Jerome’s emergence as a role player continues, head coach Kenny Atkinson says his offense extends beyond scoring.
“The way he’s managing the game [has been impressive],” Atkinson said. “They started pressuring him, and he’s just so smart. He protects it, he gets to his spots, and then he’ll drive it. Maybe the most surprising thing is how he’s getting in the lane, getting to the rim. I wouldn’t think he’s the speediest guy, but he finds a way to get there. He uses his size and his IQ.”
For All-Star Donovan Mitchell, Jerome’s impact hasn’t gone unnoticed. He also anticipates it to continue.
“He’s just done so much for us on a nightly basis,” Mitchell said. “I have no doubt he’ll continue.”
Cavs guard Sam Merrill is blown away by Jerome’s shooting.
“He’s making everything,” Merrill said. “It’s pretty simple. He doesn’t have the quickest release, but he can shoot with range, so he’s able to get a shot off.”
Jerome and the Cavs host the Hawks on Wednesday.
