Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ty Jerome continued his remarkable start to the season on Monday, scoring 40 points on 64% shooting against the New Orleans Pelicans despite the team suffering its first loss of the year. Jerome hit five of six three-pointers and seven of eight free throws, including a personal 9-0 run in the final minutes of regulation to force overtime.
Less than two weeks after opening night, when he dropped 45 points on the Utah Jazz, Jerome is averaging 28.3 points per game on 50/42/88 shooting splits, ranking sixth in the league in scoring. His surge has drawn comparisons to "Linsanity," though his production has roots in consistent per-minute efficiency over several seasons.
Per-minute production
After bouncing between the Phoenix Suns, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Golden State Warriors in his first four NBA seasons, Jerome broke out with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2024-25, averaging 12.5 points per game on 51/44 shooting splits in 19.9 minutes per night. He finished third in Sixth Man of the Year voting and averaged 22.7 points per 36 minutes, a mark better than Jamal Murray, Tyrese Haliburton, and Jimmy Butler. In the playoffs, he averaged over 16 points per game against the Miami Heat, including a 28-point Game 1 where he scored 16 in the fourth quarter.
The Grizzlies signed Jerome to a three-year, $28 million contract in summer 2025. After missing the first three-plus months with a calf strain, he debuted with 20 points in 20 minutes and averaged 0.87 points per minute over the next six weeks, matching Kawhi Leonard and ranking fourth in the league among players with at least 10 games. This season, playing 30 minutes per night with a 31.3% usage rate equal to Jalen Brunson, Jerome is scoring 0.91 points per minute, the fourth-best rate among players with 100+ minutes.
While his current MVP-level pace is unlikely to sustain, Jerome's scoring explosion did not come out of nowhere. He has long ranked above the 90th percentile as a pick-and-roll and isolation scorer, per Synergy, and his world-class shooting off the catch and dribble has translated to increased opportunity.
