The backup point guard position has been a commodity of the Memphis Grizzlies due to the injury history of their starter, Ja Morant. Ty Jerome enters that role this season as a caliber of player the team hasn't had, with an incredible combination of scoring and playmaking ability.
For four seasons, Tyus Jones manned the backup point guard position in Memphis and either led or tied the league lead in assist-to-turnover ratio. That steady presence made him a Sixth Man of the Year candidate during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons with the Grizzlies.
Mike Miller is the only player in the Grizzlies' franchise history to win the Sixth Man of the Year award (2006). This season, the Grizzlies have a couple of players who could vie for the award, including their newcomer, Ty Jerome.
Ty Jerome is the backup the Grizzlies have been searching for
The Grizzlies' best season since Ja Morant was drafted was during the 2021-22 season, when they had Tyus Jones and De'Anthony Melton as the backup guards to him and Desmond Bane. With Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr. on this year's roster, general manager Zach Kleiman believes they have as much depth as they've had since that tandem in the ballhandling department.
Scotty Pippen Jr. displayed consistent play as the backup point guard last season, but played better when paired with Morant on the court as a secondary playmaker and defensive stopper. Ty Jerome will likely play the primary ballhandling and playmaking role with Pippen Jr. off the bench this season to create more steadiness in the Grizzlies' offensive sets.
While Pippen Jr. was considered an outside Sixth Man of the Year candidate at one point during the middle of last season, Ty Jerome finished last season as a finalist for the award with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The highest Tyus Jones finished in Sixth Man of the Year voting was sixth during the 2022-23 season, which was a surprise that he finished that low to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic.
Vecenie picked Ty Jerome to win the Sixth Man of the Year award in his preseason predictions on the Game Theory Podcast, due to the time he anticipates Morant missing to give Jerome some starting opportunities. Jerome filled the stat sheet with 16 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 19 minutes as the starter for the injured Morant in his preseason debut with the Grizzlies on October 6th. That kind of efficiency will definitely put him in contention for the award again this season.