Ty Jerome stats today: Cavs Sixth Man of the Year candidate lights up Heat in playoff debut

The NBA playoffs has long served as a grand platform for superstars and role players alike.

Anyone can produce in a lowly regular season game. It's during the postseason when legacies are crafted or tarnished.

Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell, Luka Doncic, and Jalen Brunson have all established themselves as formidable playoff risers over the years. There might be a new candidate cropping up in The Forest City, too.

Ty Jerome has only played one playoff game thus far in his six-year career. It was certainly a memorable one. Here's what you need to know about the Cavaliers guard's display in Cleveland's Game 1 win over the Heat on Sunday night.

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Ty Jerome stats vs. Heat

• Points: 28
• Rebounds: 5
• Assists: 3
• Steals: 0
• Blocks: 0
• TOs: 0
• Fouls: 1
• FG: 10-15
• 3FG: 5-8
• FT: 3-5

Jerome tallied 28 points on Sunday night, good for the second-most on the Cavaliers behind Mitchell.

The Virginia alum came into the match drawing rave reviews for his play off the bench. In fact, Jerome was named a Sixth Man of the Year finalist on Sunday afternoon.

MORE: Why Ty Jerome is NBA's best story for Cleveland Cavaliers

With delicate touch around the basket — particularly on his floaters — and a volley of triples, Jerome collected 16 points in the fourth quarter alone. It was just the sort of showing Cleveland craved: with Jerome firing, the Cavaliers turned an eight-point third-quarter advantage into a 21-point gulf.

Ty Jerome 2024-25 season stats

• 12.5 points per game
• 2.5 rebounds per game
• 3.4 assists per game
• 1.1 steals per game
• 0.0 blocks per game
• 1.3 turnovers per game
• 51.6 percent field goal shooting
• 43.9 percent 3-point shooting
• 87.2 percent free throw shooting

Jerome flirted with the vaunted 50/40/90 distinction, producing 13 20-point games during the campaign. He wasn't universally loved — Jerome drew Paolo Banchero's ire during a midseason matchup.

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Nevertheless, Jerome's production has made him something of a household name among NBA enthusiasts. Sunday's showing did little to quell that dynamic.