Ty Jerome Thriving In Increased Role With Warriors
In the NBA, opportunities for players to prove themselves can be very few and far between. Those players hoping to demonstrate that they are worthy of a significant role must be ready to step up right away when the opportunity comes.
Such has been the case for Ty Jerome, who has earned significantly more playing time off the bench for the Golden State Warriors since they lost Stephen Curry to a shoulder injury a couple of weeks ago. Without the superstar point guard widely considered to be the greatest shooter of all time, the defending NBA Champion Warriors lacked a true point guard on the roster, with the exception of former UVA basketball star Ty Jerome.
After scoring a total of ten points through the first two weeks of December, Jerome has responded very well to his increased role, averaging 11.4 points and 3.8 assists per game over the five games since Curry's injury.
Most recently, Jerome had one of his best games in a Warriors uniform, recording 14 points, four rebounds, one assist, and one steal in their 123-109 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Christmas Day. He shot 6/9 from the floor, 2/4 from the three, and had the highest +/- of any player in the game at +23.
Jerome was the catalyst for the big third quarter that allowed the Warriors to pull away. He had 10 of his 14 points in the third, including a stretch in which he scored eight points to drive a 17-2 run for the Warriors, who outscored the Grizzlies by ten points in the period to extend their lead to 15 points entering the fourth quarter. It shouldn't be understated that Jerome did all of this against one of the league's brightest young stars in Ja Morant.
Jerome scored 14 points for the second-straight game and has now scored in double-figures in three-consecutive games after reaching that mark in only one game all season prior to that.
With Steph Curry expected to miss at least two more weeks, Ty Jerome hopes to continue to prove over the next several games that he is more than deserving of an enhanced role with the Golden State Warriors.
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