Thunder Prospect Evaluation: Ty Jerome

In this prospect evaluation series, InsideTheThunder.com breaks down Ty Jerome and every member of the Thunder as future prospects.

Oklahoma City acquired Ty Jerome last offseason in the blockbuster Chris Paul deal. At the time, he hadn’t proven much at the NBA level due to injuries.

Looking back, Jerome could ultimately end up being more valuable than the Phoenix first-round pick that was the centerpiece of that deal.

Selected No. 24 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, Jerome was taken one pick after now teammate Darius Bazley.

A sharp-shooting guard, Jerome is 6-foot-5 and a promising bench spark plug for the Thunder long-term.

As each player in this series is evaluated, it’s important to consider the prospect they are now, but more importantly how they could look in five years when the Thunder are a competitive playoff team once again.

Last Season’s Numbers

On the first day of training camp as a member of the Thunder last offseason, Jerome injured his ankle. This ultimately led to him missing the start of the 2020-21 season. This was bad news for OKC, as injuries kept him out of the bulk of his rookie season with the Suns.

To ease him back into things, Jerome actually played his first game of the season with the OKC Blue in the G League bubble. After having success working his way into game shape, he was quickly called back up to the NBA to play for the Thunder.

From there, he became one of the bright spots of the season in Oklahoma City.

One of their key pieces off the bench, Jerome was an absolute spark plug. He averaged 10.7 points in just 23.9 minutes per game while shooting 42.3 percent from beyond the arc last season. He was one of the main reasons the Thunder had a top-ten scoring bench in the league.

Fit On Current Roster

Relatively speaking, Jerome is actually one of the older players on the Thunder roster at age 24. However, that’s still young enough to he considered a raw prospect.

Although he’s entering his third NBA season, Jerome has only played in 64 games.

With that in mind, assuming he stays healthy, Jerome should be a focal point of the offense in the 2021-22 season. While he won’t be a starter, he’ll once again he perhaps the best player off the bench in OKC.

While the Thunder roster is extremely guard-heavy, Jerome will still be among the best of that group.

Long-Term Fit

Every team in the modern NBA needs as much shooting as they can get. As the years go on and the Thunder get closer to contending again, Jerome will only prove to be even more valuable.

With the ability to play both guard positions, he’s versatile and really stretches the floor. Last season, he was second on the Thunder in 3-point shooting percentage.

He projects to still be a role player even at his peak, but a guy like Jerome could end up being a guy who significantly affects games in the playoffs with his ability to score in bunches. He’s also an underrated passer, as he was second in assists per game on the Thunder last season.

Prospect Grade

B

Even if Jerome continues to take steps in each of his next few seasons, the reality is that he doesn’t have a superstar ceiling. He could certainly develop into an extremely valuable player who makes a ton of money, but he’ll never be one of the top options an NBA team.

While he’s solid offensively right now, he hasn’t yet proven to be a plus defender.

Either way, Oklahoma City was smart to acquire Jerome last offseason. If he sticks around long-term, he’ll be a game changer from beyond the arc.

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