Bill Simmons Compares Ty Jerome To Steve Nash After His 40-Point Night In A Memphis Grizzlies Loss

Bill Simmons has seen enough of Ty Jerome to bring up a two-time MVP. After the Memphis Grizzlies guard scored 40 points on Monday night, Simmons asked on X if Jerome is now “2005 Steve Nash and headed for back-to-back MVPs.” The post came after a night that still ended in defeat. The Grizzlies lost 135-134 in overtime to the New Orleans Pelicans and fell to 6-1, their first loss of the season. Jerome shot 14 for 22 and hit five of his six threes.

Simmons sees a bit of Steve Nash in Ty Jerome

Simmons is not the only one who has noticed Jerome's form. He is averaging 28.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists this season, and Monday was his second 40-point game of the year. He scored 45 in the season opener against the Jazz. Nash led the Phoenix Suns' rise in the mid-2000s with his vision and shooting, and the comparison fits a player who has become the Grizzlies' main offensive option.

The 29-year-old was a star at Virginia, where he won a national title in 2019. He played well for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2025, but they could not keep him, so he signed a three-year, $28 million deal with Memphis. Coach Tuomas Iisalo has said Jerome is mentally very strong and shakes off bad games quickly. That was clear on Monday, as he returned from a back problem that kept him out of Saturday's win over the Kings.

Grizzlies fall short despite Jerome's 40

Memphis looked beaten when the Pelicans went up 124-115 with 2:36 left. Jerome then scored the team's last nine points of regulation to tie it at 124 and force overtime. In the extra period, he scored eight of Memphis' 10 points, including an and-one basket that made it 134-133 with 19 seconds left.

Jaylen Wells then fouled Jeremiah Fears, who made both free throws with 7.3 seconds left to put New Orleans up 135-134. Jerome's last-second shot from about 15 feet missed. Zion Williamson scored 25 points, nine of them in overtime, and Karlo Matkovic matched him with a career-high 25. Derik Queen added 20.

Cameron Boozer finished with 18 points, and Wells scored 16. Memphis had been the last unbeaten team in the league and missed out on the best start in franchise history. After the buzzer, both teams shouted at each other at midcourt and had to be separated. The Grizzlies host the Pacers on Wednesday.