The Cleveland Cavaliers are in a 0-2 hole as they head to Indiana after losing Game 2 against the Pacers, 120-119. Ty Jerome, the Cavs best regular season success story, wasn't the reason Cleveland lost Game 2, but anything positive from Jerome likely would have been the difference between a win and a loss.
The former Phoenix, OKC and Golden State guard has been a highlight for the Cavaliers this season, averaging 12 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game on 51 percent shooting. The veteran, whose career was not on stable footing before this year, turned himself into a 6MOY candidate and an offseason free agent acquisition dream for any team looking for bench help.
Although the veteran did have a strong first round series (outside of an extremely poor Game 2) against the Miami Heat, Jerome needs to step up to get a bag in the summer. He scored 20 points and dished out 8 assists in Game 1 — those are closer numbers to what he's capable of.
Jerome went 1 for 14 in Game 2, easily his worst performance of the postseason thus far. Finding consistency will be paramount.
Ty Jerome needs to improve in the rest of the Cavaliers series
Considering the Cavaliers are already facing injuries to major veterans, it's clear that Cleveland likely needs Jerome to improve his shooting in coming games if the franchise wants any shot at regaining momentum on the road.
In all fairness, Jermoe did have a similar poor game 2 performance in the first round, but Cleveland was facing a weaker team and had a healthier roster at that point, not missing Darius Garland, Evan Mobley or De'Andre Hunter.
The Cavaliers have lots of areas to improve on if they want to stay alive. While the blame doesn't fall only on Jerome, it's obvious that the Sixth Man of the Year candidate needs to play better on the offensive side of the ball. One bad game won't hurt his offseason contract prospects, but a bad series might.