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Will this Grizzlies acquisition ever get on the court?

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There were high hopes for Ty Jerome.

While with the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, Jerome broke out as a core contributor, a lethal shooter who was difficult for teams -- particularly the Miami Heat in the playoffs -- to contain. In his sixth season, on his fourth team, Jerome averaged by far a career-high 12.5 points in just 19.9 minutes, shooting 52 percent overall, including 44 percent from deep.

As a result, he priced himself out of the Cavaliers' budget, and the Memphis Grizzlies signed him for three seasons at roughly $27 million.

They have yet to receive a return on that investment.

Jerome, who tore his right calf in a preseason game, won't return for another six to nine weeks, according to the Grizzlies' latest medical update. This was not the news that fans were hoping for, especially with several other key players sidelined.

Jerome's presence would be helpful, as the Grizzlies try to somewhat replace Desmond Bane, who was traded to the Orlando Magic for multiple draft choices. This also coincides with the continued absence of point guard Ja Morant, also with a calf injury -- though not as serious. Calf injuries have been a persistent problem for teams around the NBA so far this season.

At the very least, Jerome -- who was third in Sixth Man of the Year voting last season -- was supposed to provide bench production. The Grizzlies did recently get Zach Edey back for the frontcourt, and Cedric Coward has been a revelation as a rookie on the wing. But as the team is caught between trying to play itself into the Play-in Tournament or pivot toward the future, it needs more of its projected rotation players to return.

Frontcourt reserve Brandon Clarke is another with roughly a six to nine week timetable, though Grizzlies suppoerters continue to expect the worst.

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Ethan J. Skolnick
ETHAN J. SKOLNICK

Ethan has covered all major sports -- in South Florida and beyond -- since 1996 and is one of the longest-tenured fully credentialed members of the Miami Heat. He has covered, in total, more than 30 NBA Finals, Super Bowls, World Series and Stanley Cup Finals. After working full-time for the Miami Herald, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Bleacher Report and several other outlets, he founded the Five Reasons Sports Network in 2019 and began hosting the Five on the Floor podcast as part of that network. The podcast is regularly among the most downloaded one-team focused NBA podcasts in the nation, and the network is the largest independent sports outlet in South Florida, by views, listens and social media reach. He has a B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University and an M.S. from Columbia University. TWITTER: @EthanJSkolnick and @5ReasonsSports EMAIL: fllscribe@gmail.com

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