From struggling to find his way as a rookie on the Phoenix Suns, to staking his claim as one of the league’s best sixth men with the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, Ty Jerome hopped on the latest Ryen Russillo Podcast to reveal that he didn’t exactly get along with then Phoenix coach Monty Williams.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Phoenix traded for Jerome, the No. 24 pick in the 2019 draft, along with Aaron Baynes. The former Virginia Cavalier said that he was excited to play in the Valley, especially after the signing of a notable veteran point guard.
“I thought it was going to be a great transition, honestly,” Jerome said on the podcast about arriving in Phoenix. “They signed Ricky Rubio, so I was like ‘alright, I’ll back him up and get used to it.'”
Dec 11, 2019; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) and guard Ty Jerome (10) against the Memphis Grizzlies at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Jerome ended up playing just 31 games with the Suns as a rookie due to an ankle injury at the beginning of the season halting his momentum and differing ideologies with Williams, who was also in his first season with Phoenix.
“I got hurt the day before the first game,” Jerome said. “As a rookie, trying to come back and play catch up wasn’t easy. Dealing with all that and Monty Williams was a real old school coach and we didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye and that didn’t help.”
Jerome averaged 3.2 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 10.6 minutes per game with the Suns in the 2019-20 season. Fast-forward to now and the six-year guard is averaging 12.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 50.7/44.0/89.9 shooting splits for Cleveland and has the fifth-best odds (+3,000) to win the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award, according to BetMGM.
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Reporter Connor Moreno covers the Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @cmorenoNBA, and on Bluesky, @cloading.bsky.social
