Ty Jerome Explains What Changed to Fuel His Grizzlies Scoring Breakout

Ty Jerome shot 4-of-15 from the field in the Memphis Grizzlies' 110-105 win at Utah on Oct. 26. Seven days later, he went 14-of-22 and scored 40 points against the New Orleans Pelicans in a 135-134 overtime loss.

Jerome went through nights like those with Matt Barnes on "All the Smoke Unplugged," in an episode taped the day after the New Orleans game.

He came into this season averaging 9.3 points per game for his career, with one 30-point game, according to NBA.com. He has three in eight games since. The first was a career-high 45 points against the Utah Jazz in the Oct. 21 opener. He added 31 at Sacramento on Oct. 25, then the 40 against the Pelicans.

Through eight games, Jerome is averaging 26.6 points. Better conditioning is part of how he is carrying that load.

"Honestly, I think it's just the volume," Jerome said. "Like the pull-up numbers, the floater numbers, like those have kind of been the same now for the last three, four years. The volume is a lot more now. So that's why I think it's like a shock to a lot of people because, like, people can do it on eight shots, can't do it on 16 shots."

"That's the biggest thing that changed, and that goes back to probably being in better shape and stronger, being able to get my legs under me all the time, stuff like that," Jerome continued. "But also, I think it's important too when you're getting eight shots a game, six shots a game, you got to make three or four of them, [expletive]. But if you're getting 16, if you're getting 16, 18 shots, you can start off 0-for-5, 0-for-6, 0-for-7, and still have a very productive night. And it completely changes your mindset."

In that loss to New Orleans, Jerome scored the final 9 points of regulation, starting with a 10-foot floater at the 1:43 mark and ending with another floater that tied the game at 124 with 4.6 seconds left. His 15-foot pull-up for the win missed at the end of overtime.

Jerome took 14.3 shots per game last season, when he played 15 games in his first year with Memphis and averaged 19.7 points. In 2024-25 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he started 3 of his 70 games and averaged 12.5 points. He was a finalist for Sixth Man of the Year.

Jerome calls that Cleveland season his first breakout year in the league.

"That was the hurdle I couldn't get over for the first five years of my career, of like getting four shots and feeling the pressure of I have to make two of them," Jerome explained. "I have to, like I have to, or you think about all the worst possibilities. Finally, it was two years ago, with my first, I guess, breakout year in the league, I was in Cleveland."

"And I finally let go of the feeling, the pressure of having to make shots, and just played free," Jerome added. "And when I finally let go of that, is when I finally played the best basketball that I'm capable of playing. And some nights you go 1-for-6, and some nights you go 4-for-6, and some nights you go 8-for-8."

On Jan. 24, 2025, Jerome made all 8 of his 3-point attempts off the bench and scored 33 points, then a career high, in a 132-129 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. No Cavaliers player had gone 8-of-8 from 3-point range in a game before.

These days he measures his shooting over a week rather than a single night.

"Like, I've had them all," Jerome said. "And then when you finally understand, like, over the course of the season, you're probably gonna get 200 shots in that role. So I started thinking about my games instead of like I gotta make four shots tonight. It's just like, no, I'm gonna shoot 16 shots this week, make eight of them. And as long as I stay mentally right, that's gonna happen more times than not."

"So that's been a change for me, instead of like feeling, you put a weight on your shoulders of like, if I don't make the shot from our best player when he kicks it out to me, it's like, damn," Jerome continued. "And finally it's like, no, bro, you just play basketball. And when I finally got to that point in my life is when I finally got there."

Jerome's 31.2% usage rate is the highest on the Grizzlies. Entering Friday, his 15 points per game as a pick-and-roll ball handler led the NBA, per NBA.com. So did his 14 points per game on drives. He was shooting 50.4% from the field.

Memphis plays fast enough that Jerome wants a second creator on the floor with him.

"I'm seeing a lot more blitzes," Jerome said. "A lot more blitzing and a lot more, like, [94-foot] denial. Those are some new challenges to face for sure. But the good part about it is that we do got a good team."

"But, like, that's the hardest part about this role," Jerome noted. "Now it's managing a game. Before, when you're in that other role, when you're coming off the bench, you're just kind of like a microwave score[r], and you get used to that. And now it's like, OK, I know I can score, but I gotta make sure he gets involved and he gets involved. And if I [go] too long, I gotta make sure we get a good shot. We gotta be off the ball at the right time. So now it's like figuring out all that, and it's like a new talent."

Against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, Jerome scored 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting with 5 assists and 3 turnovers. Memphis lost 128-97, its third straight loss after a 6-0 start.

The Grizzlies went 10-of-45 from 3-point range that night. Jaylen Wells said afterward that teams are scouting the Memphis offense now.

Memphis (6-3) plays at Toronto on Monday at 6:30 p.m. CT.