And former Phoenix Suns Hakim Warrick and Sonny Weems!
We’re back waiting out for the Orlando NBA return with some more Phoenix Suns birthday shoutouts! If you missed previous entries, I would suggest checking here and here. There’s nothing fancy, just a brief look at the highlighted player on their special day, with some light observations of their time with the Phoenix Suns.
Well, today we have three more birthdays, all who share the same day, one of whom is a current Suns player, while the other two are former wearers of the orange and purple during…well, some of the rough days. Let’s start with the young and promising first!
Rookie Ty Jerome is now 23! The New York native (who according to basketball reference has the nickname of “milk”, weird) has had an uneven season up to this point. Injuries (specifically a lingering ankle ailment) have limited him to just 28 games, with paltry averages of 3.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists a night. (Jerome seems to be on the precipice of a 4-2-2 season with just a half more….nevermind, the joke won’t land.)
His shooting, something that was considered a strength heading into Phoenix, just hasn’t come around yet, with Jerome shooting just 34% from the field and a miserable 27% from three. However, being a rookie and battling injury along with the learning curve that comes with adjusting to the NBA game provides plenty of hope that Jerome will definitely improve on these averages. Considering he is on a multi-year deal and will presumably have more playing time this season (unless Cameron Payne has something to say about it) Phoenix Suns fans shouldn’t be terribly concerned with Ty Jerome’s performance up to this point.
Ty Jerome had an uneven season to this point, but he is bound to improve with his return to health and more playing time.
As for the other Phoenix Suns birthdays today, Hakim Warrick is now 38, and Sonny Weems is now 34. Warrick played two underwhelming seasons with the Suns from 2011-2013 after being brought in along with a stable of forwards that offseason in an attempt to replicate the production of the recently departed Amare Stoudamire. It…it didn’t go well. Warrick’ Suns career finished with averages of 7.8 points and 3.4 rebounds. He may have had a nice dunk off of a Steve Nash pass…I can’t remember. You can YouTube his Suns highlights if you’d like, you’ll find four videos there.
As for Weems, he had a cup of coffee in Phoenix during the miserable 2015-2016 season. Over the course of 36 games, Weems averaged 2.5 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. So yeah….not a whole lot. (I for one have mostly blotted out that season, along with most every Suns campaign from 2015 through this most recent offseason, so I can’t give you too much more context on Weems value, although he seemed to be a serviceable wing with an iffy outside shot.)
Wait, I DO have a good nugget for Weems! A career 28% three-point shooter, Weems shots a blazing 40% from three for Phoenix! (On less than one three a game, I know, but still!)
Well, that does it on the birthdays. From the good people here at Valley of the Suns, we wish a great day to Jerome, Warrick, and Weems!