Next Wednesday, every man on the Cavaliers roster – plus their new head coach – will be geared up to get after it, tipping off the 2024-25 regular season in Toronto.
But ONE member of the squad might be just a little more amped up than the rest. And that’s veteran point guard Ty Jerome.
Jerome signed with the Wine & Gold as a free agent last summer. But after just two appearances and less than 15 combined minutes of action, he suffered an ankle injury that would sideline him for the duration of his debut season in Cleveland.
But if he fell to the back of people’s minds last year, he’s made a statement heading into this one. At Cavs Training Camp in Sarasota earlier this month, the New York native was one of the Cavaliers' most aggressive, vocal and competitive players. He looked like the veteran leader he was brought here to be.
And his performance in the Sunshine State didn’t go unnoticed by coaches or teammates.
“Ty's been hooping,” said Darius Garland, who was taken 19 picks ahead of Jerome in the 2019 Draft. “Ty's been one of the best players in Camp, in my opinion. He's been shooting the ball really well. He's getting downhill, finding his teammates and being a good leader. It's cool to have him back out here.”
Coach Kenny Atkinson, who coached Jerome as an assistant with Golden State in 2022-23, had similar praise for the 27-year-old guard midway through Camp.
“He's really been one of our top players,” said Atkinson. “He's been really good. He's shooting a heck out of the ball – I think shooting freely and without hesitation. I think I told him in Golden State, I used to say, ‘Ty, you're a really good shooter. You got to let that thing fly, right?’ That's the new NBA. So, he's letting it fly and he's making them.
“And I think he's really focused on his body. He had that bad injury. I told him, ‘How much get better are you going to get at basketball? You're smart, you can shoot, you can pass. You’ve got to move better, you got to get your body right. And so that's his development piece, and I think he's, he's really embraced that – and he has played really, really well.”
Jerome got the start in last Thursday’s loss to the Pacers and made his 23 minutes count – leading Cleveland with 15 points on 5-of-14 shooting, including 2-of-7 from deep, leading both squads with eight assists to go with four boards.
As the Wine & Gold prepare to hit the road for their final two preseason contests, the 6th-year man from Virginia sat down with Cavs.com to talk about his tough 2023-24 season, his take on Coach Kenny Atkinson and his goals for a healthy season in Cleveland.
You’ve been asked this question a lot this fall, but how does it feel to finally get back out there?
Ty Jerome: Man, it feels great!
It's been a long time, and you don't realize how much you miss just the day-to day-of it all. Just the little things – like the little workout pieces, the team camaraderie, the getting after it in practice. All that stuff is a lot of fun. So, it feels great to just get that going again.
You were one of the more competitive guys at Camp. Did it feel good to let your inner New Yorker come out in Sarasota?
Jerome: Oh, for sure, man. I missed that!
That's the way I grew up playing – one hundred percent. You just get that mindset, man. You play outside, you play inside. I played high school basketball in New York, and New York City is one of a kind, man. You learn to get tough real fast.
Basketball is kind of like my outlet, it's a time where you really get to forget about everything and just compete. Talking sh*t is acceptable, putting everything aside and just fully competing.
So not having that for a year was rough, but it's back and it's awesome.
How difficult was last year?
Jerome: It's just like you do something all your life and then, all of a sudden, you can’t. I signed here in free agency, I'm super excited to get going, and then Game 2, I get hurt and need surgery. So, it sucked. It just sucked.
But just seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, keeping that vision, and attacking rehab every day, I knew one day it was going to come eventually get back to where I started. So, I just couldn't act like it was the end of the world. I just kept working and took it day by day.
Despite being sidelined, were you able to observe the team and see how you’d eventually fit in?
Jerome: For sure. I think the unique thing about this team is how many different lineups that we can play with, and how many different styles we can play – with a big lineup, a small lineup. We can put George or Dean at the five and there’s a million different things you can do.
So, I think obviously my role is going to change differently based on who I'm on the court with, but I think just being that connector and being a calming presence for us.
You can always bring that every night – just being a competitor and a guy that's making sure everyone else is competing too.
What are you most looking forward to in your return?
Jerome: Like I said, being back is awesome. It's not even just the basketball stuff. I didn't get to travel last year either. I was back here doing rehab, so it's the plane rides and the bus rides with the guys, you know? The team dinners on the road. All that is awesome.
And I think just being who I am as a player, part of my strength is that I can fit in with so many different lineups. I can play on the ball, I can play off the ball, I can guard multiple positions. So, kind of just being, being kind of a Swiss army knife for this team, just filling the different roles that I may need to have.
Besides Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert, you’re another guy who’s been coached by Kenny Atkinson. What are your impressions of him here with the Cavs?
Jerome: He's also from New York, so there’s just that competitiveness. He has it, man! He has it.
He's dialed it back a little bit right now, and he's making sure we're taking in what he’s building here. He's great, man. But I think just that competitiveness, it always comes out when you have it.
So, some guys will see it soon. And that’s not to say he hasn't been competitive up to this point, but just to say that it's going to continue to come out as this season goes on. And I'm excited to see it.
As a veteran, how would you describe your leadership style?
Jerome: I think it’s leading by example. You'll never see a day where I don't come in and get my lift in or I'm not on a treatment table or I'm not getting my work in after practice.
It's a long season, man. This is my sixth year at it. So, it's understanding that we didn't build this team and bring this staff in to peak in January.
So, just leading by example of just every day doing what you're supposed to do. And over time it adds up, man. Competing every day, too.
It's just being where I don't need to tell everyone what to do. I have a lot to learn myself. But the one thing that can stay consistent is how you show up to work, your daily habits.
Last question: Over the course of your career, two of your five top scoring games were against the Cavaliers. What did you have against Cleveland before you signed here?
Jerome: (laughs) I think it just happened to work out that way, man.
Two years ago, when I came here, I was in Golden State and Steph was out, Klay was out. So, it's like I got to play 41 minutes that night. Yeah, I remember that night.
I’d like to think if I play 41 minutes any night, that's how I'm going to play. I think it just happened to work out that way on that night in Cleveland.