Tag: Ty Jerome

Column: 1 successful play helped the Thunder loss become a positive

Tanking teams have two modes: Blowouts and close defeats. Darius Bazley’s reaction to a late Thunder play reminds OKC that the process can work.

Rebuilding teams have a couple different modes. The Oklahoma City Thunder have shown both over this losing streak that reached 12 with the 122-116 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

One of them is blowout defeats. Think of the beginning of April, when Thunder basketball was, for the first time in more than a decade, simply not fun. These losses sure help a team with draft position, but if this lasts for an extended period of time, it can hurt players who are currently on the roster to be removed from a winning environment for such a period.

The other mode is close losses in which young players get thrown into late-game scenarios and are forced to perform under pressure. That’s been the case the last few games, as it was during the Pacers game.

And after that Pacers game, even though it was a loss, Thunder power forward Darius Bazley expressed genuine excitement about one of the fourth-quarter situations.

With about 30 seconds left and the Thunder down five points, Kenrich Williams pressed Pacers ball handler Malcolm Brogdon and forced the guard to throw the ball deeper into the back court. Ty Jerome leapt the pass, got the steal, and kicked it to Theo Maledon, who was wide open for 3. With the basket, Oklahoma City trailed by two points with 24.5 seconds to play.

It was a perfectly executed play, and it was one the Thunder have practiced.

“We go over situational stuff all the time,” Bazley said. “Coach is always showing us these different scenarios, and we get put in them and sometimes it doesn’t go our way.

“But tonight — for us to go over the situational stuff and then it actually happen, I was like ‘Oh, snap.’ Because I’ve never really been in a game like that, where that actually has happened. So when it did happen, my heart was just like beating fast.”

In a long, losing season, it’s easy for the days and weeks and months to become a slog. When what you’re working on doesn’t result in wins, it can feel like a waste. That’s an issue that plagues bad teams, and it’s why tanking can ruin a culture if the front office isn’t careful.

RELATED: 3 takeaways from Thunder loss to Pacers

These in-game victories, even if they don’t result in an actual win, are vital cogs for development and can serve as somewhat of a minor seminal moment.

“They call timeout and I’m thinking, like, ‘Alright, let’s see if we can do it again,'” Bazley said.

The Thunder couldn’t do it again Wednesday, as Brogdon sank four free throws to close out the game.

But maybe they can do it again Friday. Or maybe next season, players will remember that these practice scenarios do work and are relevant — not just drills. That “oh snap” moment can spark something during the next practice, which in turn can spark success when it matters during a game.

It’s tough to get players to buy in when you’re on a 12-game losing streak, but when head coach Mark Daigneault has game situations to point back to, it will help continue to develop winning habits.

Wednesday was not a win, but it wasn’t necessarily a loss for the Thunder either.

This post originally appeared on OKCThunderWire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Turnovers plague Thunder in loss to Sixers, Joel Embiid

The OKC Thunder lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the return of Darius Bazley and Lu Dort.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ty Jerome pulled up for a jumper, hit it, and got fouled. He sank the free throw.

There was 1:16 remaining in the third quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Thunder had trimmed a 20-point lead down to 12. They were starting to pick up a little momentum. After wing Furkan Korkmaz missed a free throw on the next Sixers possession, OKC had a chance to grab the board and cut the deficit down even further.

But Korkmaz got his own offensive rebound off the missed free throw and big Mike Scott hit a 3 for the unconventional four-point possession. The Sixers extended their lead back up to 16, and the Thunder comeback attempt was over.

Oklahoma City lost its sixth game in a row. The team fell 117-93 to the Sixers, who are now tied with the Brooklyn Nets for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

The Thunder suffered another turnover-filled game, giving up the ball 23 times and allowing 32 total points off turnovers. In the third quarter, Oklahoma City committed seven — so even though Philadelphia only scored 24 points that frame, the Thunder posted just 23 because they couldn’t keep hold of the rock.

“I thought it was a good game for us just to go against a team with that kind of length and discipline,” said Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault.

“We were just a little sloppy with the ball and had too many turnovers, but I thought the movement and the screening and cutting, which they force you to do to generate advantages, was pretty good. … I thought the pace of offense and the way we were trying to play was well-intentioned.”

Those turnovers contributed to the Thunder scoring only 93 points despite having a very efficient night. The team shot exactly 50% from the field and 40% from 3, but only attempted 76 field goals. The Sixers, by comparison, put up 94 shots.

Over the 10 prior games entering the night, the Thunder allowed 24.4 points off turnovers, 4.1 worse than the next-worst team. That margin is worse than the difference between the No. 29 team and the No. 19 team.

In that time span, the Thunder averaged 17.9 turnovers per game, 29th in the league to the Los Angeles Lakers. The difference between the Thunder and the No. 28 team was wider than the difference between No. 28 and No. 20.

Jerome was asked specifically about the turnovers of the Saturday night game, to which he responded that the young team is still learning to play at a fast tempo.

“We’re going to have those stretches. We’re young, we’ve got some inexperience,” Jerome said. “We want to play fast. We’re going to make some mistakes. Just try to minimize the bad ones. But it’s going to happen, we’ve just got to work on it.”

Power forward Darius Bazley had nine turnovers himself in his first game since March 4.

Beyond those turnovers, Bazley’s return to the court was largely positive. He scored a team-high 17 points to go with nine boards and five assists, and Daigneault acknowledged that he was impressed the forward reached 36 minutes after not playing for more than a five weeks.

“I thought he was in really good shape tonight. I kind of let him run there at the end because he obviously was a little out of rhythm,” Daigneault said. “I give him a lot of credit for his return to play, that’s easier said than done.”

Wing Lu Dort also returned to action for the first time in two weeks. He scored 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting and had five rebounds.

“Similar (to Bazley), didn’t take a dip conditioning wise,” Daigneault said. “He was a bull downhill tonight. He was really, really fast downhill.”

Center Tony Bradley, facing off against his former team, had the best night of any Thunder player. He posted a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds to go with three blocks in 25 minutes of action.

“It was a good opportunity to first off see them again and secondly get a chance to play against them,” he said. “They’re a really good team. … When I was with them, observing and watching them, when I was sitting on the bench, it was something special to watch.”

The center he used to play behind, Joel Embiid, led the way for the Sixers. He scored 27 points in 27 minutes and recorded four blocks on the night.

Off the Sixers bench, backup power forward Mike Scott had 13 points while backup center Dwight Howard had 13 rebounds and two blocks.

Philadelphia was far too much for Oklahoma City to handle, and the Thunder have now lost nine of their 10 games. But they got two core pieces back into the lineup and, for those watching the reverse standings, are now in the seventh-best position for lottery odds.

This post originally appeared on OKCThunderWire. Follow us on Facebook, and keep up with 76ers news at Sixers Wire!

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Ty Jerome reacts to OKC waiving Darius Miller: One of the best teammates I’ve had

After the OKC Thunder waived Darius Miller, Ty Jerome tweeted that the forward is one of the best teammates he’s ever had.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ty Jerome got a little sentimental on Twitter after the team announced they had waived forward Darius Miller.

Jerome, who spent his rookie season on the Phoenix Suns before arriving in Oklahoma City over the 2020 offseason as part of the Chris Paul trade, said that Miller is among the best teammates he has ever had — and might be the best.

“One of, if not the best teammate I’ve ever had .. great player, better person.. love my boy. Thanks for everything,” Jerome said, tagging Miller in a quote-tweet attached to the Thunder tweet announcing the transaction.

Miller was only with the Thunder for part of a single season, but his impact off the court was evident by ways Jerome and Isaiah Roby spoke about him.

Miller appeared in 18 games for the Thunder, serving a limited role on the court due to the organization’s desire to evaluate young players, but he was active with the team and at practices.

After the win over the Toronto Raptors on March 31, the first time Miller had played in two weeks, Roby said the team often jokes around that Miller is the best shooter.

“We always joke around — like I think he missed one shot tonight — he might miss one shot, if we played basketball today, he might miss one shot all day. He’s a great shooter,” Roby said (In that game, Miller went 4-for-6 from the field and made three of the five 3-pointers he attempted).

“We always kind of have that joke, like, he’s the best shooter in the world, so anytime he shoots the ball, we all think it’s going in.”

In total, Miller shot 40.5% from behind the arc on 2.3 attempts over 10.9 minutes per appearance.

He will now try to join a team in need of the deep shot as he works to get more playing time this year and secure a contract for next season.

This post originally appeared on OKCThunderWire. Follow us on Facebook!

Ty Jerome reacts to OKC waiving Darius Miller: One of the best teammates I’ve had

After the OKC Thunder waived Darius Miller, Ty Jerome tweeted that the forward is one of the best teammates he’s ever had.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ty Jerome got a little sentimental on Twitter after the team announced they had waived forward Darius Miller.

Jerome, who spent his rookie season on the Phoenix Suns before arriving in Oklahoma City over the 2020 offseason as part of the Chris Paul trade, said that Miller is among the best teammates he has ever had — and might be the best.

“One of, if not the best teammate I’ve ever had .. great player, better person.. love my boy. Thanks for everything,” Jerome said, tagging Miller in a quote-tweet attached to the Thunder tweet announcing the transaction.

Miller was only with the Thunder for part of a single season, but his impact off the court was evident by ways Jerome and Isaiah Roby spoke about him.

Miller appeared in 18 games for the Thunder, serving a limited role on the court due to the organization’s desire to evaluate young players, but he was active with the team and at practices.

After the win over the Toronto Raptors on March 31, the first time Miller had played in two weeks, Roby said the team often jokes around that Miller is the best shooter.

“We always joke around — like I think he missed one shot tonight — he might miss one shot, if we played basketball today, he might miss one shot all day. He’s a great shooter,” Roby said (In that game, Miller went 4-for-6 from the field and made three of the five 3-pointers he attempted).

“We always kind of have that joke, like, he’s the best shooter in the world, so anytime he shoots the ball, we all think it’s going in.”

In total, Miller shot 40.5% from behind the arc on 2.3 attempts over 10.9 minutes per appearance.

He will now try to join a team in need of the deep shot as he works to get more playing time this year and secure a contract for next season.

This post originally appeared on OKCThunderWire. Follow us on Facebook!

Thunder suffer another defensive breakdown in loss to Cavaliers

The OKC Thunder gave up 129 points to the Cleveland Cavaliers in another poor defensive showing.

The Cleveland Cavaliers entered Thursday averaging the fewest points in the NBA with 103.1 per game. Their offensive rating was second-to-last. But against the Oklahoma City Thunder, they practically looked like a juggernaut in a 129-102 Thunder loss.

Three Cavaliers players scored more than 20 points, and three others reached double-digits as the team shot 51.1% from the field and made 13 3s.

The OKC defense, which had been solid for the majority of the season, has slipped over the last seven games.

Going back to March 29, the first game after Lu Dort suffered a concussion, the Thunder have given up 125.3 points per game while allowing opponents to shoot 49.7% from the field and 39.7% from 3.

Against teams like the Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers, that can be understandable. But the Detroit Pistons put up 132. The Charlotte Hornets tallied 113 without their best two players. The Cavs just put up 129, the most they’ve scored in a non-double-overtime game this season.

“A lot of our breakdowns were execution breakdowns, whereas in this stretch of games we’ve also had some moments where our competitive level wasn’t high enough. I didn’t think that was necessarily the case tonight,” said head coach Mark Daigneault.

He added: “We’re in a pretty tough stretch both from an injury standpoint and from a scheduling standpoint. I thought we endured it with our head held high. Obviously tonight was a little ugly and hopefully we have some reinforcements coming here with some more guys coming off of injuries pretty soon.”

How much of it can be attributed to lack of familiarity with teammates? Of the nine Thunder players who appeared on Thursday, four did not play for OKC in the first half of the season, and two others played less than 10 games.

How much is the lack of NBA experience in general? Two of the players are rookies and four are second-year players, and three of those second-year players appeared in 13 games or fewer in their rookie season.

“When we’re cycling in new players … The first and foremost thing that we’re trying to evaluate is just competitiveness, and are they plugged into the team,” Daigneault said. “That’s foundational identity type stuff …. and that’s gone in and out at times.”

It’s not all because of the youth or inexperience. Some poor tendencies are catching up to the Thunder.

“I think it starts in transition. We gotta do a better job taking care of the ball,” said guard Ty Jerome, who scored a team-high 23 points. “They get out and get easy ones.”

That has been an ongoing issue for the Thunder, long enough that it was something that even center Al Horford addressed when he was still getting playing time.

Over the course of the season, Oklahoma City has allowed 19.3 points per game off turnovers, the worst in the league. The Thunder had 18 turnovers against the Cavaliers, resulting in 24 points.

Four of those turnovers came during the 15-0 Cleveland run that started near the end of the second quarter and went into the third. What had been a tie escalated to a 76-61 lead for the Cavaliers.

This was a similar story to Wednesday. The Thunder kept that game against the Hornets close until the end of the third quarter, when Charlotte embarked on a 12-0 run in a four-minute stretch on the heels of OKC turnovers. Cleveland’s run took a little less than five minutes.

Up until that stretch by the Cavs, the Thunder played well. They put up 61 points in the first half. But the offense absolutely collapsed in the third quarter, as the team scored just 14 points, while the Cavaliers put together a 38-point first quarter and a 36-point fourth quarter.

So this isn’t just a question of defense. It’s not just about if the inexperience of the players on that end of the court is limiting their production. It’s also about offense.

Without the usual playmakers on the court, the Thunder are struggling to score, turning over the ball and allowing easy points in transition.

They have hit their first five-game losing streak of the season.

“I thought they just kind of wore us down tonight,” Daigneault said. “And credit them. Like I said, I thought they played a really good game. They ran through the finish line, through 48 minutes tonight. We didn’t. they deserved to win.”

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Thunder injury report: Aleksej Pokusevski, Ty Jerome active against Suns

OKC Thunder rookie Aleksej Pokusevski returns from COVID-19 protocol, and Ty Jerome will get to face his former team in the Phoenix Suns.

Of note for the Oklahoma City Thunder fans: Aleksej Pokusevski (COVID-19 health and safety protocols) will be active on Friday night against the Phoenix Suns.

Of interest for the Suns fans: Thunder guard Ty Jerome (right ankle sprain) will be active as well.

Pokusevski missed the game on Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors, but that is the only game that the safety protocols cost him. The rookie will be inserted back into the starting lineup at small forward in place of Kenrich Williams.

Since returning from the G League bubble, Pokusevski has averaged 11.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 10 games, all of which have been starts.

Jerome missed the Raptors game due to an ankle sprain. He returns to play his former team in Phoenix.

As a rookie, Jerome averaged 3.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 31 appearances for the Suns.

He has broken out in his second year, increasing his shooting percentages dramatically — from 33.6% from the field and 28% from 3 as a rookie up to 45.9% from the field and 44.9% from 3 this season. In 14 games with the Thunder, he has already surpassed his rookie minute total.

This will be Jerome’s first game against the Suns.

Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. Central Time. Tune to Bally Sports Oklahoma to watch.

This post originally appeared on OKCThunderWire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Pokusevski in health and safety protocol, Jerome has ankle sprain

Aleksej Pokusevski is in COVID-19 protocol and Ty Jerome is out with an ankle sprain in the Thunder’s game against the Raptors.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will be down about half its roster against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.

In addition to the opening day starting lineup, Aleksej Pokusevski, Ty Jerome and Mike Muscala will all miss the game.

Pokusevski is in COVID-19 health and safety protocols while Jerome “tweaked” his ankle in the Thunder’s game on Monday and is out with a right ankle sprain in the Thunder’s game on Monday, head coach Mark Daigneault said.

Muscala, who has only played one game since the All-Star break, is listed as out with an ankle injury for the second game in a row.

Those three are on the injury list along with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (plantar fasciitis), Bazley (left foot contusion), Dort (concussion) and Horford (shut down).

That means Oklahoma City will have nine active players against the Raptors.

The starting lineup will be Theo Maledon, Svi Mykhailiuk, Kenrich Williams, Isaiah Roby and Moses Brown.

Options off the bench are forwards Josh Hall, Justin Jackson and Darius Miller and center Tony Bradley.

Expect Jackson, who did not play in the last three games, to get on the court, as will Hall and Bradley. Miller, who has not played in two weeks, is less of a guarantee.

This post originally appeared on OKCThunderWire. Follow us on Facebook!

Ricky Rubio gives former teammate Ty Jerome jersey with message after OKC win

OKC Thunder guard Ty Jerome made five 3-pointers against the Timberwolves and then got the jersey of former Suns teammate Ricky Rubio.

When Ty Jerome had his draft rights traded to the Phoenix Suns in 2019, he joined a team that was finally approaching an upward trajectory. Ten days after that draft, Phoenix signed Ricky Rubio, a respected veteran who was expected to be a part of the team for the next two to three years and help mentor younger guards including Jerome.

Rubio and Jerome played in Phoenix for one season, and Jerome appeared in only 31 games as a rookie, but it’s clear the young guard took lessons from Rubio during their time together.

The two were traded to the Thunder together as part of the package for Chris Paul. Rubio was promptly shipped to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Oklahoma City and Minnesota faced off on Monday. After the game, Rubio gave Jerome his jersey and wrote a message on the back. The second-year Thunder guard posted a photo to his Instagram story:

(Instagram photo/@tyjerome_)

On the number nine, Rubio wrote:

“To my rook Ty,

Best of luck on your long NBA career! Love you.”

This was coming off a performance in which Jerome showed off, going 5-for-5 from deep. The 15 points he scored matches the most he scored in a game for the Suns.

Jerome has been a different player this season. Playing an off-ball role, he has been a sniper from deep and looked more comfortable on the court as he focused on shooting the ball and moving the rock.

He has set a career-high of 18 points, has tripled his scoring average from 3.3 to 9.9 points per game, and has shot 45.6% from the field and 44.6% from deep, a world away from last year’s numbers of 33.6% from the field and 28.0% from 3.

Perhaps Rubio didn’t necessarily want to see his rook light up his new Timberwolves team, but he certainly isn’t upset it happened.

This post originally appeared on OKCThunderWire. Follow us on Facebook!

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By the numbers: Thunder blown out by Hawks, who now have 7 straight wins

Ty Jerome posted career-highs in points and 3-pointers, but the OKC Thunder lost to the Atlanta Hawks by 23 points.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were blown out by the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday. They never posed much of a challenge in the 116-93 loss.

Oklahoma City struggled to hit from inside the arc during the first half and fell behind by 20 points by halftime. The Hawks have now won seven games in a row, all since Nate McMillan was hired as the interim head coach, and broke above .500.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 19 points and Ty Jerome posted a career-high 18 off the bench. Trae Young and Bogdan Bogdanovic had 23 apiece and both played less than 30 minutes.

Here are some numbers that define the game:

With All-Star week looming, Thunder muster just 78 points against Mavs

The OKC Thunder lost to the Dallas Mavericks sans-Luka Doncic with the All-Star break on the horizon.

After three days off, the Oklahoma City Thunder returned to the court to face the Dallas Mavericks with fresh legs.

Or maybe they had rusty legs. Or maybe there was some All-Star fatigue with the break in two days. Maybe it was just a slip in performance.

Whatever the case, the Thunder couldn’t put up the offense to stand a chance against the Luka Doncic-less Dallas Mavericks. OKC lost 87-78, and only broke the 20-point mark in one quarter.

Dallas heated up just enough in the third quarter to jump ahead of the Thunder, who shot just 33.3% from the field and 23.1% from 3.

Here are three takeaways from the night: