Jerome was one of the best sixth men in the NBA this season, and the continued absence of Darius Garland (toe) means the Cavaliers need more production from him. However, he was inefficient in Game 1, shooting 40 percent from the field on 20 attempts. Among the Cavaliers who saw action, only Donovan Mitchell (30) had more attempts from Jerome. While Jerome’s ability to provide production off the bench will be critical in this series, the Cavaliers must share the wealth better than they did in Game 1.

This was the first postseason series of Jerome’s career, and it couldn’t have gone much better. He’s still never lost a playoff game, and he averaged 16.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.5 triples per game in this series. Jerome will continue to provide them with excellent depth, though if Darius Garland (toe) is back from Game 1 of the second round, Jerome may not be as productive, since he will likely lose out on minutes.

Despite the Cavaliers not having Darius Garland (toe), Jerome remained in a reserve role for Game 3. However, that did not prevent him from recording a career-high assist total and a double-double. With his play throughout the regular season and in this series, Jerome has likely secured himself a substantial contract in unrestricted free agency this summer. First and foremost is the need to take care of this series, with Game 4 scheduled for Monday.