The Phoenix Suns smartly demote Ty Jerome to the G-League
On Wednesday, the Phoenix Suns sent rookie point guard, Ty Jerome, down to their G-League affiliate after a rough stretch of games. It was a smart move.
Sort of like the Democratic presidential primary, the talk about who will win the backup point guard role for the Phoenix Suns is down to two viable candidates: Jevon Carter and Elie Okobo. The longshot, Ty Jerome, has just been sent down to the G-League, effectively ending his campaign.
On Wednesday, the day after Super Tuesday (which turned out to be not very super for the Suns considering they blew a 17 point lead and lost to the Toronto Raptors), the team decided Ty Jerome would be best served with the Northern Arizona Suns.
He played two games for the team’s G-League affiliate after recovering from a sprained ankle he suffered just days before the start of the regular season. In those two contests, he averaged 13.5 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in just over 13 minutes of play.
Jerome’s playing time has diminished significantly over the course of the last month. He has only played more than 15 minutes in a game twice since February and sat out completely in seven out of the last 14 games.
During that stretch, he is averaging just 2.4 points on a team-low 21.7 percent from the field, including 0-9 from behind the arc.
Compare that to Jevon Carter, who during the same stretch, has averaged 6 points on 43.7 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3-point range. Couple that much more efficient shooting with Carter’s bulldog defense and it is clear to see the team had no choice but to run with Carter.
Okobo has some fill-in minutes and during the same stretch, has scored 3.7 points on 44.4 percent from the field and an even 40 percent from 3.
Even with Tyler Johnson being waived after the trade deadline, Ty Jerome is the odd man out at the moment. This is a smart move and may help him regain some mojo after a shaky start to his NBA career.
If he can put some solid numbers for the Northern Arizona Suns (and maybe even lead them to a win or two), it would do a lot for his confidence when he regains his roster spot with the big boys, whether that be this season or next.
Next. Cam Johnson is the Suns X-factor moving forward. dark
Until then, we’ll keep an eye on his progress as we keep watching Jevon Carter improve game after game on the big stage.