Of former Golden State Warriors guards currently running around the NBA, most will focus their attention on veterans Klay Thompson and Chris Paul, or 2022 NBA champion Jordan Poole.
Yet in terms of former guards the Warriors are actually missing right now, Ty Jerome may surprisingly be the one if you take into account contract situations. Jerome is becoming one of the best backup point guards in the league, and also a serviceable fill-in starter as demonstrated in Thursday's sensational performance in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 128-100 win over the injury-ravaged New Orleans Pelicans.
Former Warriors guard Ty Jerome had 27 first-half points on Thursday
In one of the most surprising first-half performances the league has seen so far this season, Jerome exploded for 27 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and 7-of-10 from three-point range.
Starting in place of Darius Garland, Jerome was scorching hot in the second-quarter with 20 points in just eight minutes on 7-of-11 shooting and 6-of-8 from beyond the arc as the Cavaliers built a 14-point lead.
The 27-year-old finished with 29 points, three rebounds and an assist in just over 23 minutes, appropriately finishing as a game-high +28 in the 28-point victory.
TY JEROME FROM THE LOGO. #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/EYdMqPQ0CR
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) November 21, 2024
Jerome played 45 games for the Warriors two seasons ago, averaging 6.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists on impressive 49/39/93 shooting splits. Golden State did want to keep Jerome around, extending a qualifying offer to him prior to free agency in the 2023 offseason. However, the two-year, $5 million offer from the Cavs was too much for the Warriors to match, leaving his stint in the Bay as a rather brief one.
Given the concerning form around second-year guard Brandin Podziemski, Golden State could do with another affordable backup option to Stephen Curry right now. Jerome would have fit that bill, with Thursday's performance far from a one-off display so far this season.
After an ankle injury kept him to just two games in his first year in Cleveland, Jerome is now averaging 11.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and over a steal in 18.5 minutes per game to start the season. The shooting efficiency is insane at 59.2% from the floor, 55.1% from beyond the arc and 86.2% at the free throw line, with the Cavaliers a +101 in Jerome's 314 minutes.
He also had a nice revenge game against the Warriors earlier in the month, tallying 20 points and three assists on 7-of-8 shooting in only 21 minutes in Cleveland's 136-117 win.
De'Anthony Melton's season-ending injury only increases Golden State's need for a player like Jerome, while Podziemski left Thursday's win over the Atlanta Hawks following another blow to the face early in the fourth-quarter.