What Ty Jerome is doing to open this season has turned into one of the league’s most surprising early stories.
The Memphis Grizzlies guard is sitting atop the NBA scoring leaderboard after another big night Sunday in a 123-112 win over the Sacramento Kings. Jerome put up 31 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 1 steal, going 8-of-17 from the floor and a perfect 14-of-14 at the line. The one area that didn’t fully cooperate was the three-ball, where he hit just 1 of 6 attempts.
That performance came on the heels of a huge season opener against the Utah Jazz, when Jerome exploded for 45 points, 6 assists, 7 rebounds and 1 block while shooting 68% from the field. In all three games he’s played so far, he has logged just 32 minutes.
His start has also caught the attention of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, who was Jerome’s teammate during the 2022-2023 season. Golden State beat Memphis 111-108 on Friday, and Curry had plenty to say about the way Jerome is playing.
“I mean 45, and you know, he had his run in the third quarter. I thought we did a pretty good job on him all game.
He got going early in the third, a couple and-1s, a couple threes, and that big one down the stretch. But I know he’s happy to be healthy, and he’s obviously gotten a lot better since he was here.
He was a great player when he was here, but he’s got a full green light over there to kind of do whatever he wants and run their system and initiate a lot of their scoring. So, he’s a tough cover, and he’s got a lot of weapons around him, spread the floor.
They’re a pretty physical team, so I know they’re trying to rebuild and figure out who they are, and he’s doing a great job.”
After the win over Sacramento, Jerome said the shot wasn’t falling from deep, but he found other ways to make an impact and help Memphis settle in.
“The three-ball was a little off tonight, but yeah, just find ways to score, find ways to impact the game, and that's what basketball is.”
The Grizzlies will get another look at Jerome’s hot start soon, with a rematch against the Jazz coming up. Both teams will be on a back-to-back after Sunday night, and Utah is fresh off allowing 52 points to Luka Doncic.
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Grizzlies Are 3-0 And One Surprise Is Suddenly Hard To Ignore
Memphis kept its early-season roll going with a 123-112 win over Sacramento, a result that put the Grizzlies at 3-0 for only the third time in franchise history. The night belonged in part to Ty Jerome, whose scoring punch gave Memphis a steady lift, while the Kings got a strong effort from Zach LaVine and another encouraging look from rookie Jaylen Wells.
What stood out beyond the final score was how Memphis handled the game without Zach Edey, a test that could have exposed the frontcourt. Instead, the Grizzlies found enough physicality and energy to control the glass and keep Sacramento from making the kind of sustained push that would have turned the game into a track meet. [Read more 🡒]
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Memphis 111-108 win over Golden State in the second game of the season did more than give the Grizzlies an early edge in the standings. It also gave rookie Cam Boozer a national showcase, with the young forward piling up 25 points and flashing the kind of all-around game that tends to stick with opponents long after the final buzzer.
Draymond Green was the latest to take notice, and his reaction on his podcast only added to the sense that Memphis may have found something real. Green said Boozers polished skill set caught him off guard, especially the way he handled the ball and moved on the floor, while also drawing a comparison to Tim Duncan that says plenty about the kind of player the Warriors think they just saw up close. [Read more 🡒]