On Monday vs. New Orleans, Ty Jerome notches his second 40-point game of the season.
Ty Jerome addressed reporters at Grizzlies media day in September, and one word stood out.
“I think we got a hungry group and mature group of young guys,” Jerome said. “And a lot of older guys that are still really hungry too.”
So far, that hungry group has been eating. Especially Jerome.
- Baseline: Jerome had averaged 9.3 points per game for his career, with just one 30-point game
- Breakout: This season, he has three 30-point games in seven games (27.4 ppg, 6th)
And then on Monday, Jerome tallied his second 40-ball of the season, scoring 17 of the Grizzlies’ final 19 points versus New Orleans; Memphis fell in OT for its first loss of the season
The Grizzlies dropped another game to the Pacers on Wednesday, yet Memphis remains one of the NBA’s early surprises. They’ve opened the season 6-2 behind a refreshed roster and an unlikely scoring leader.
But Jerome isn’t just putting up big numbers. He’s finding new ways to score, too.
- Beyond The Arc
Jerome has long been a dangerous outside threat, shooting 38.5% from 3 for his career. This year, that shot has stayed steady, as he’s hitting 2.6 triples per game at a 37.5% clip
- Paint Explosion
But where Jerome has leveled up is in the paint — he’s averaging 11.4 ppg there. That’s nearly 70% above his previous career high of 6.7, set last year in 15 games with Memphis
How He’s Doing It
With a team-high 31.2% usage rate, the seven-year vet has thrived as Memphis’ primary pick-and-roll ball-handler.
- Pick-and-Roll Maestro
No player has scored more points off the pick-and-roll than Jerome this season, averaging an NBA-best 15 ppg as the pick-and-roll handler, while shooting 52.7% off the action
- One Reason Why?
The pick-and-roll has allowed Jerome to get downhill, as he’s averaging 14 ppg off drives – also an NBA-best. And a big part of that success is a shot he’s spent years perfecting: the floater
“My trainer in college … we would rep out floaters like how people rep out 3s,” Jerome said last week on “The Zach Lowe Show.”
“So how people shoot spot 3s or off-the-dribble 3s, we would spend time just repping out floaters. And I figured that could be a separator for me at this level.”
A separator indeed
Of this season’s top-15 scorers, Jerome (50.4%) joins Giannis Antetokounmpo (56.2%) as the only players shooting at least 50% from the field.
One is a 6-foot-11 locomotive and former two-time Kia MVP. The other is a 6-foot-5 wing who’s carved out his own path to the basket.
And it’s paying off for Memphis, which ranks fourth in offensive rating entering tonight’s Emirates NBA Cup matchup against OKC (8 ET, League Pass).
