Last season, Ty Jerome played 15 games. This week, he’s the best story in the NBA. Jerome scored 31 points Sunday night, going a perfect 14-for-14 at the free-throw line, as the Grizzlies beat Sacramento 123-112 to improve to 3-0. That’s 104 points in three games, a 34.7 average for a point guard who was sidelined by a calf injury for most of last season, on a team that was supposed to be rebuilding without Ja Morant.
Ty Jerome Scoring Run: 104 Points in Three Games
He started with 45 on opening night in a 123-103 win over Utah, a Grizzlies franchise record for a season opener, topping the 44 Morant scored in 2020. Then came 28 against Golden State and 31 against the Kings. Through three games Jerome is 36-of-64 from the field (56 percent), 9-of-21 from three (43 percent) and 23-of-26 at the line, while playing about 32 minutes a night. He wasn’t alone on opening night, either. Anthony Edwards also scored 45 for Minnesota.
How He’s Doing It: Free Throws and Two-Pointers
Sunday’s game was a case study. Jerome shot 8-of-17 from the field, but only 1-of-6 from three. He did his damage inside the arc, making 7 of 11 two-point attempts, and at the line, where he went 14-for-14 as Memphis shot 24-of-27 to Sacramento’s 14-of-22. That’s what separates this from a hot-shooting streak. Jerome has now attempted 26 free throws in three games and made 23. A scorer who can draw fouls when the threes aren’t falling has a floor that most hot shooters don’t.
From 15 Games to Franchise Records
It’s a long way from last year. Jerome logged 339 minutes across 15 games because of a persistent right calf strain, after a breakout 2024-25 in Cleveland, where he played 70 games off the bench for a 64-win team. He signed with Memphis on a three-year, $28 million contract, per CBS Sports. Now he’s the starting point guard of a roster that has traded Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr., and coach Tuomas Iisalo has said he’s become “one of the NBA’s premier creators.” Zach LaVine scored 37 for the Kings, who tied the game at 106 with 5:41 left, but Isaiah Stewart’s three-point play, a Cedric Coward bucket and a Jerome three put Memphis back up eight.
Can It Last?
Probably not at this pace. Defenses will load up on him, and no one makes 14 of 14 free throws every night. But three games into a season in which Memphis was expected to struggle, the Grizzlies have a point guard who gets to the line, finishes inside and produces points on nights his three isn’t working. A year ago, he couldn’t stay on the court. Now they can’t take him off it.
Ty Jerome Scoring Run Has Memphis 3-0 and the NBA Doing a Double Take