Although the season is only a week old, Ty Jerome has emerged as one of the NBA's greatest stories. The Memphis Grizzlies guard is now leading the league in scoring after another standout performance on Sunday against the Sacramento Kings. Jerome finished with 31 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal, shooting 8-of-17 from the field and 14-of-14 from the free-throw line. He made only 1 of 6 three-point attempts.
This follows a thrilling season debut against the Utah Jazz, when he scored 45 points, 6 assists, 7 rebounds, and 1 block while shooting 68% from the field. In each of his 3 games this season, he's played only 32 minutes. Jerome's play drew the respect of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, with whom he was a teammate in the 2022-2023 season. The Grizzlies beat the Warriors 111 to 108 on Friday, and Curry marveled at his high level of play.
“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.”
Following the Grizzlies' 123-112 victory over the Kings, Jerome spoke about how he didn't start off the game shooting well but ultimately got to the free-throw line, helped them get in rhythm, and contributed to the team's success.
Article Continues Below“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.”
Jerome has the chance to continue his stellar regular-season start as the team prepares for a rematch with the Jazz, with both teams on a back-to-back after Sunday evening. The Jazz recently gave up 52 points to Luka Doncic.