If there's one thing the Golden State Warriors could do with right now, it's a proven back-up point guard following the departure of Dennis Schroder in the Jimmy Butler trade.
The presence of Butler has helped stabilize the non-Stephen Curry minutes, but the Warriors ran into a familiar issue without the 6x All-Star in Saturday's loss against the Philadelphia 76ers. They were -14 in Curry's minutes off the floor in the first-half, with Golden State struggling to execute offense without their two stars.
After losing Schroder, the Warriors don't have much in the way of point guard depth beyond Curry. In a move that's becoming a bigger mistake by the game, it's easy to forget that they gave up one of the best back-up point guards in the league less than two years ago.
The Warriors should regret letting go of Ty Jerome
Ty Jerome was incredibly solid in his one year with Golden State in 2022-23, having begun that season on a two-way contract. The 6'5" guard appeared in 45 games for the franchise, posting 6.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting an efficient 48.8% from the floor, 38.9% from 3-point range, and 92.7% from the free-throw line.
The Warriors did reportedly offer Jerome a qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent in the 2023 offseason, but chose not to match the two-year, $5 million contract offered by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
That appeared the right decision after Jerome was ruled out for the entirety of last season following just two games, but the 27-year-old has returned with a vengeance and ensured Golden State are regretting letting him walk to the Cavaliers.
Jerome is averaging 12.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals in just 19.5 minutes so far this season, yet it's his shooting efficiency that continues to be the standout feature of his game. Jerome is shooting 51.6% from the floor and 44.9% from beyond the arc, having become a key contributor for the Eastern Conference-leading Cavaliers.
The Warriors got a first-hand look at Jerome's skillset when he went for 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting against his former team earlier in the season, while he's also had at least 19 points in four of his last five outings.
With his size and capability on and off the ball, Jerome wouldn't just be a perfect back-up point guard to Curry right now, but also be capable of playing alongside the 2x MVP in potential closing lineups.