Life has to be pretty good for Ty Jerome with the Memphis Grizzlies right now. No major pressure to win on a Grizzlies team that is six games back of the Play-In Tournament. No more injury. Just an opportunity to go out and prove how talented of a player you still are.
Make no mistake about it, Jerome is playing great individual hoops. An uneventful night for the Grizzlies as a whole, against the Golden State Warriors, was another solid game for their point guard. Jerome poured in 22 points and added five assists during the lopsided 133-112 loss on Wednesday.
The former Cleveland Cavaliers guard was efficient as always too. Jerome shot 8-of-14 from the field and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. That is the type of production from the point guard position the Cavs were missing for a large chunk of this season.
It took them a while, but Cleveland has figured out the spot since. Adding James Harden and Dennis Schroder to the mix solidified the point guard depth chart for the Cavs. Koby Altman was forced to do a lot of heavy lifting, though, when the easier solution could have been to pay Jerome last offseason.
Ty Jerome is shining with the Memphis Grizzlies since his season debut
The ripple effects of letting Jerome walk in 2025 free agency have mostly worked out for the Cavaliers. There will be little regret over the final product they have arrived at ahead of the 2026 championship push. They did have to put in considerable work to get there, though.
Acquiring Lonzo Ball to replace Jerome was a rough first move for the Cavs. They were forced to pay up with draft capital in an effort to alleviate themselves of his contract and free up a roster spot after the deadline.
That was a painful, but completely necessary, move considering where they were at that point with Harden and Schroder. At the end of the day, there is a good chance Harden may not end up in Cleveland without Jerome leaving.
The former Cavs guard is not making it look pretty for Cleveland with averages of 19.6 points, 5.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game, shooting 52-41-87. However, if they had Jerome all year (assuming he dodges the injury with the Cavaliers), there may not be the same urgency to move on from Darius Garland and make the all-in move for Harden.
Having Jerome would have provided a stabilizing force at point guard while Garland struggled to get healthy. Stability does not entice risk.
For the most part, all's well that ends well for the Cavaliers. They are undeniably a contender post-Harden trade. There was just a lot of maneuvering to undo several mistakes that started with deciding to let Jerome walk for free.