David Richard-Imagn Images
Jerome’s 28 points led the Cavs to a Game 1 victory over the Heat.
CLEVELAND — Firsts are memorable for a variety of reasons, but most of all because there’s a finality to it. You can’t recreate that experience again. Once it’s done, it’s done.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome made the most of his first opportunity in the playoffs with a resounding
Game 1 performance against the Miami Heat. He dropped 28 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
That isn’t how postseason debuts are supposed to go. So much so that Donovan Mitchell seemed to be in disbelief when he was told it was Jerome’s.
“It damn sure didn’t look like it.”
Jerome’s 28 points in a playoff debut are the third most in franchise history behind only LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. But unlike either of those players, Jerome isn’t supposed to be here.
This game would’ve been memorable no matter the context. It coming a year after
season-ending ankle surgery likely takes it to another level.
“Going into the offseason, your back’s kind of against the wall,” Jerome said. “You don’t play any games. I don’t really have a huge body of work in the NBA and you kind of have one last shot in a way to make it right.”
The Cavs decided to take a small chance on Jerome in the summer of 2022-23. He showed promise on a two-way contract with the
Golden State Warriors the year before, but was still unproven. Getting a season-ending injury 15 minutes into his Cleveland tenure only made it more difficult for him to show he belonged in the league.
That last setback would’ve ended many 26-year-old NBA journeymen’s careers. It didn’t for Jerome.
Jerome’s self-confidence likely plays a part in being able to turn things around so drastically. That belief is evident after just watching him play for a few minutes. No player has ever taken a higher volume of unearned heat checks than Jerome. He’s attempted shots that even JR Smith would think are reckless.
Sunday’s game was a good example of that. He drained a standard pull-up three on his first shot attempt of the game. The next trip down, he pulled from just a step inside the logo with 16 seconds left on the shot clock. Somewhat surprisingly, the ball didn’t go in.
These shots would be concerning if he didn’t finish the regular season in the
97th percentile for effective field goal percentage, which is a comical thing to say about someone who regularly pulls up from 32 feet.
Jerome missed his first field-goal attempt of the fourth quarter, but then proceeded to hit his next six en route to a 16-point quarter to close out the Heat. Each of those makes was seemingly more ridiculous than the one before.
He capped it off with another three from just inside the logo. This time he made it.
The absurd, but awe-inspiring nature of these sequences isn’t surprising anymore, especially for those who’ve seen him do this since this past summer.
Then, it was annoying to his teammates. Now, he’s helping push a historically good offense to playoff victories.
“Slow down buddy,” Darius Garland said when asked what his response was when he saw Jerome first do this in open gym.
“He was talking his shit and he was backing it up. So, I mean, you can’t really say nothing to him. ... So yeah, this summer he was bumping his gums a lot for sure. So I’m glad he’s doing it at a high level.”
Jerome credits that confidence to his dad, but also to what he’s been through.
“When you have all that time off, kind of sitting there, you have time to reflect and do mental work and see what you need to improve on, like confidence and aggression was the thing for me as well,” Jerome said.
Jerome has continually proven to be this kind of player all season. It’s why he’s been named a
finalist for Sixth Man of the Year and is an indispensable part of Cleveland’s championship aspirations.
“He’s done it all year,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “I shouldn’t be surprised.”
“This is who he’s been,” Mitchell added. “This isn’t a shocker. I don’t think any of us are surprised at what he’s doing on a nightly basis. It is full circle to come back from when we were eight years old, to my first basketball teammate, to now here we are. I know everybody’s going to react like this is a shock, but he’s been doing this for us all year.”
It took five years for Jerome to experience his first playoff game. His road to this point has been difficult and not one he would’ve chosen. But it’s also shaped him into who he is today. One who can take over and be the best player in the fourth quarter of postseason games and have their name chanted by the hometown crowd when they go to the free-throw line.
In the words of Jerome, it was a “solid Game 1.”
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