Ty Jerome making strong case to be Phoenix Suns' backup point guard
Duane Rankin
FLAGSTAFF — Ricky Rubio won the Suns' starting point guard position the moment he agreed to a three-year, $51-million deal this summer.
The Suns now must search for his backup.
"I think we have to play more, but the fit will mean more than anything, maybe over the talent," Suns coach Monty Williams said. "The backup point guard, in my opinion, he's the most steady guy on the team because he'll play with both units. The way the league is being played now, he can play off the ball, he can play on the ball."
In discussing the backup role, Williams mentioned rookie Ty Jerome and second-year pro Jevon Carter.
The Suns also have Tyler Johnson and Elie Okobo, who started at point guard last season for the Suns as well as rookies Jalen Lecque and Jared Harper, but the focus seems to be on Jerome and Carter.
Jerome helped Virginia win a national title last season and can play the one or the two. He averaged 13.6 points and 5.5 assists per game for the Cavaliers and shot 39.9% from 3.
"He's got leadership qualities," Williams said. "He's not afraid of the moment and he's a great passer."
Jerome sounds willing to do whatever Williams asks him to do, too.
"I don't know how he plans to use me, but If he says go in the two, go in at three, go in at four, go in the five, whatever he says to do, I'm going to go do it to the best of my ability," the first-round pick said. "I just want to try to help this team win and whenever my number is called upon, I just want to be ready."
Carter appeared in 39 games last season as a rookie for the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Suns received Carter as part of a trade for Josh Jackson, De’Anthony Melton and two future draft picks. The Suns also received Kyle Korver, but they bought him out and he's now with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Williams said at the Suns' media day Monday he learned 26 years ago from Hall of Famer Pat Riley that "competitive environments weed guys out and they bring (out) the best out of you."
Carter’s all for that.
"That’s right up my alley," the second-round pick out of West Virginia said Monday. "I love the way we come in here and we compete every day. It takes me back to my West Virginia days. That's how our practices were every day and I feel like that’s the only way you can get better."
Two days into camp, the man who Williams called a “bulldog” and “eats rocks” asked him if he could guard full court.
"I'm like, 'Yeah, it’s what you do,'" Williams said with a smile. "I wouldn’t want to have Jevon in my shirt trying to bring the ball down the floor. Hard worker. Brings a different edge to the team."
Carter shot just 33.3% from 3 and averaged 4.4 points per game for Grizzlies last season. His overall percentage was worse at 30.3%.
Despite how good Carter is defensively, Phoenix will need him to shoot better.
"His defense is what people think about with Jevon, but his shooting has improved a lot in the last year and half," Williams said.
Jerome isn't as good a defender as Carter.
Staying in front of the NBA’s athletic and skillful guards will be Jerome's greatest challenge as a rookie, but Williams likes his size at 6-foot-4 as well as his shooting and passing.
"Ty kind of has some of those qualities Ricky has," Suns rookie Cameron Johnson said. "He does a really good job of commanding the floor and I knew that since college. It's pretty evident."
Johnson certainly knows Jerome. The two faced each other in the ACC when Johnson was at North Carolina.
"He has such a high basketball IQ and he understands the game really well," Johnson continued. "You can tell he's picking up things. Learning what the coaches want from him, but I love playing with him, too.
Now, Williams didn’t mention Tyler Johnson or Okobo when talking about Carter and Jerome, but those two started 28 total games last season with Okobo making 16 starts.
Phoenix acquired Tyler Johnson from Miami right before the trade deadline and he averaged 11.1 points with 4.2 assists — a career high — per game over 13 games with the Suns. But the 6-foot-4 combo guard suffered a knee injury that required surgery and cut his season short.
"If I'm getting caught up if I'm going to play or not, then I already lost," said Tyler Johnson, who is entering his fifth NBA season. "I know I’m going to play. I know what I’m capable of. I know I’m going to play."
It’s a matter of how Phoenix chooses to utilize him.
"I love what Ty brings and there's a lot of people, but the guard positions are interchangeable," Tyler Johnson continued. "They rotate. ... I know what I'm capable of and I know what kind of player I am. So regardless of how it gets worked out, I know that I'm going to put myself in position to play every night."
Okobo, the second-year pro from France, is still in the mix as well after averaging 5.7 points and 2.4 assists per game last season.
"You have to work for your spot," Okobo said. "It's a challenge. You've got to work hard every day and show what you're capable of and the coach will decide at the end of the day."
Okobo's also keeping a close eye on Rubio and looking to absorb as much as he can from the veteran.
"He's a really good leader," Okobo said. "He can talk to guys. He can talk to big men, wings. He knows the plays really well. He can execute really well. He finds guys so easily. I’m really trying to play that way and keep being aggressive to attack the rim."
Rubio is the starter, but Williams needs more time to determine who will back up. That role is too important and valuable to just hand out after a couple days of practice.
"We want to play a lot, so we can figure out who is going to be the best fit for this second unit," Williams said.
Have an opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.
Support local journalism. Start your online subscription.