The Cleveland Cavaliers played some of the best basketball in the league this season, leading to them getting the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. It wasn’t just one player who helped them get to the top, but it took a collective group effort from the starters to the bench players. One of those key bench players is Ty Jerome, who is in the running for Sixth Man of the Year and is having the best season of his career.
It wasn’t all peaches and cream for Jerome last season, and he shared where he was mentally after only playing two games.
“I was in a very dark place,” Jerome said via reporter Chris Fedor. “I felt disconnected from the group. I felt alone. I was just kind of here by myself, going into the facility solely to rehab, and then back home to sit on the couch with no plan for how to get better and no real timeline for a return. I’m a hooper. It’s my only hobby.
“When I’m playing basketball, when I’m able to shoot and work out, I’m just a happier, healthier person.”
Jerome has been able to come back this season and play in 70 games while averaging 12.5 points, shooting 51.6 percent from the field and 43.9 percent from three.
Cavs ready to compete for a championship
The Cavs have stayed consistent all season as one of the best teams in the league, and now, the big test comes in the postseason. Throughout the season, many have continued to doubt the Cavs and their ability to make a deep run in the playoffs, and Donovan Mitchell had a message to those people.
“Once we do what we believe we can do, that will definitely change,” Mitchell said via Josh Rosenberg of Esquire.
The Cavs have one of the best teams in the league, and they’ve been playing like it. Mitchell and Darius Garland have played outstanding in the backcourt after questions on whether they can fit together. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen have been one of the more dominant frontcourt pairings in the league this season.
The second unit bench has been great, with Jerome leading the way, and then acquiring De’Andre Hunter in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks at the deadline.
It’s safe to say that they have what they need, and all that is left to do is go out and perform at a high level.
