Cavaliers' Breakout Guard Earns Compelling Ranking

This Cleveland Cavaliers guard has landed an interesting ranking in the middle of his breakout NBA season.

Matthew Schmidt | Feb 19, 2025

Feb 2, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome (2) celebrates after hitting a three point basket during the first half against the Dallas Mavericks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

In this story:

Cleveland Cavaliers

Few players in the NBA have made as big of a leap as Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome during the 2024-25 campaign.

After playing in a grand total of two games with the Cavaliers last season, Jerome has established himself as one of Cleveland's most pivotal role players this year, averaging 11.4 points, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals over 19.1 minutes a night on 51.6/42.7/89.8 shooting splits.

The problem is that Jerome is set to hit free agency during the offseason, and given Cleveland's financial situation, it will be difficult for the Cavs to retain him.

Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus recently put together a list of the top 30 free agents in the league heading into the summer, and Jerome came in at No. 26. That's ahead of the likes of fellow guards such as D'Angelo Russell and Dennis Schroder, both of whom are much more recognizable names.

"While Jerome, 27, hasn't reached the career heights of Dennis Schroder and D'Angelo Russell, he still has the perceived upside and is currently the best shooter of the three," Pincus wrote.

The University of Virginia product was originally selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 24th overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft and was immediately traded to the Boston Celtics. The Celtics then flipped him to the Phoenix Suns.

Jerome spent just one season with the Suns before being dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he resided for a couple of years prior to being traded to the Houston Rockets. The Rockets then waived Jerome, who signed with the Golden State Warriors.

The New York native finally proceeded to ink a deal with the Cavaliers during the summer of 2023.

As you can see, Jerome has certainly been around, but there is no doubt that he has found a home in Cleveland. Unfortunately, he may not remain with the Cavs for very long.

Read More Cleveland Cavaliers Content