Thunder’s Jerome has passed test on range
Ty Jerome jab stepped, seeing if Suns forward Dario Saric would bite. Saric stayed planted to the court, so Jerome took advantage of the cushion and swished from 32 feet away.
The near-logo launch wasn't a fluke. Jerome drained another 32-footer later in the game.
The 6-foot-5 guard is shooting 42% from 3-point range this season, and his range is expanding.
“I think it definitely feels sustainable,” Jerome said of his shooting. “I did it over three years in college. I think what led to it is just the opportunity that all of us young guys are getting here.”
An ankle injury limited Jerome to 31 games in his rookie season with the Suns. He averaged 3.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 11 minutes per game.
This season, in 32 games with the Thunder, Jerome is averaging 10.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 24 minutes per game.
Opportunity on a rebuilding team has unlocked Jerome, who's next up in The Oklahoman's Thunder development series.
Jerome was drafted 24th overall, one spot behind Thunder forward Darius Bazley, in 2019. In three years at Virginia, the last ending in a national championship, he averaged 9.6 points per game while shooting 39% from 3point range.
Jerome was traded from Phoenix to Oklahoma City last November as part of the return package for Chris Paul.
A right ankle sprain set Jerome back as a rookie, and a left ankle sprain on the first day of training camp delayed his Thunder debut until late February, almost halfway through the season.
Jerome was sent to the G League bubble in early February. It was basically a rehab assignment to test his ankle and get back into game shape be
fore being thrust into NBA action.
“The first thing they said to me when I went down to the G League bubble,” Jerome said, “was ‘Hunt good threes. Get them up.’
“They encouraged me to really shoot them, really hunt them, and that’s just an example of the coaching staff investing in our growth and finding things in our game that they believe are sustainable.”
Jerome shot just 28% from 3-point range as a rookie in Phoenix, but the sample was only 50 shots. Jerome has attempted 162 3-pointers this season.
At 42%, Jerome is second on the team in 3-point accuracy behind Kenrich Williams (43%). Jerome has made at least one 3-pointer in 28 of his 32 games.
Jerome’s daily shooting routine includes spot-up threes, threes off ball screens, threes off hand-offs and what Jerome calls “deep threes,” like the two last weekend against the Suns.
“We have the same little routine every day,” Jerome said, “and that’s just another thing they teach you here, just how to be a professional.”
Among players who attempt at least five 3-pointers per game, Jerome ranks 11th in the NBA in percentage.
“They’ve given me an opportunity to play,” Jerome said, “and from there it’s about what I can go do with it.”