Report: Cavs believe Ty Jerome can be underrated X factor

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome reportedly will get a shot to be an impact player off the bench for the Cavs in the 2024-25 season.

“And there is some belief within the organization that Jerome indeed can become an underrated X-factor in reserve,” Hoops Wire’s Sam Amico wrote.

Earlier this offseason, Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor reported that Jerome would have a chance to earn the backup point guard role for the Cavs after missing most of the 2023-24 season due to injury.

“If the Cavs are going to be committed to trying to diversify their offense, and try and not put as much pressure or playmaking responsibility on Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, Ty Jerome is somebody who can take some of those responsibilities,” Fedor said. “He could shoot from the outside. He plays at a fast pace. He understands the Golden State Warriors system if Kenny Atkinson is going to implement some of those principles that he learned from Golden State.

“So, I think there are a lot of signs that if Ty Jerome is on this team – he remains on this team through the trade deadline – I think he’s going to get an opportunity to be the backup point guard coming out of training camp.”

The 2023-24 season did not go how the Cavs or Jerome planned. He was injured after just two games and eventually underwent surgery on his right ankle that ended his season. In the first two games of the season, he averaged 2.0 points and 1.5 assists across 7.5 minutes per game.

Jerome has spent time with Atkinson when he played in Golden State, and his familiarity with the new Cavs head coach could give him a leg up on a player like Craig Porter Jr. for minutes in the rotation.

Jerome played for Golden State in the 2022-23 season, appearing in 45 games and making two starts. He put up 6.9 points, 3.0 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 18.1 minutes per game while shooting an impressive 38.9 percent from 3-point range.

Since the Cavs gave Jerome a two-year deal prior to the 2023-24 season, they clearly had some belief that he can become an impact player in their rotation.

A first-round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Jerome will look to carve out a role behind Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell in the 2024-25 season after the Cavs returned a good chunk of their roster that made the second round of the playoffs last season.

Hopefully, Jerome can give the Cavs productive bench production that helps vault them into the top half of the Eastern Conference standings for a third straight season.