How Cavs ‘empowered’ Ty Jerome during Sixth Man campaign

And deliver he did. In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Playoffs, just hours after learning he was a finalist, Jerome torched the Miami Heat for 28 points in his playoff debut. 16 of them came in a white-hot fourth quarter. That performance helped Cleveland grab a 1-0 lead in the first-round series and reminded the league just how impactful he’s been all season.

Still, when the votes were tallied, it wasn’t enough. Pritchard claimed the award with 454 points and 82 first-place votes, while Beasley came second with 279 points. Jerome received 91 points and just two first-place nods.

Pritchard’s case? Strong. He played 80 games, averaged 14.3 points, and set an NBA record with 246 threes off the bench. Beasley was a workhorse in Detroit, playing all 82 games and scoring 16.3 points per night.

Jerome was the engine behind one of the league’s best second units. He was a key piece in Cleveland’s rise to the No. 1 seed in the East with a 64-18 record. His efficiency was unmatched, and his impact was undeniable. In a league increasingly defined by analytics, Jerome quietly posted elite numbers across the board and anchored a winning culture.

“Just to be nominated is phenomenal,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. “… I just think he’s earned it. All year him coming into the game has kind of changed our trajectory and then manifested itself in our last game.”

Sure, Jerome being snubbed is a tough pill to swallow. However, don’t expect lasting, overwhelming bitterness coming from Cleveland despite Jerome being snubbed. Disappointment, sure. But if there’s one thing Jerome and this Cavs team have shown all year, it’s that their eyes are fixed firmly on the bigger picture, and they’re not done yet.

It’s about we, not me, in Cleveland

Jerome’s resurgence this season is about more than basketball. After signing with Cleveland last summer, he spent most of the 2023-24 campaign on the sidelines, recovering from surgery to reshape the bones in his right ankle. He missed the playoffs entirely last year, forced to watch while his team battled without him.

“Especially after last year, not being able to play the whole year, not being able to play in the playoffs, just watching, it speaks to how my teammates have empowered me and how my coaching staff has empowered me since day one, for sure,” Jerome said. “So it means something for sure. But now we’ve got the playoffs started and bigger things to worry about.”

Bigger things, indeed.

Cleveland isn’t content with regular-season honors. With All-Star Evan Mobley in the running for Defensive Player of the Year, Atkinson up for Coach of the Year, and a deep roster that includes another Sixth Man finalist in De’Andre Hunter (who finished fourth), the Cavs have one goal: a championship.

And they may have to go through Pritchard and the Celtics to get there.