Atkinson gives update on Ty Jerome’s injury

The Cavs will be without a key bench player in their matchup with New York.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will be without Ty Jerome when they take on the New York Knicks on Wednesday night. It will be the fourth straight game they will be without their reserve guard. He is listed on the injury report as having left knee tendinitis.

Jerome wasn’t able to practice on Tuesday afternoon either, but head coach Kenny Atkinson doesn’t have concerns about his long-term availability.

“He’s in there (the weight room) right now conditioning and stuff,” Atkinson said after practice on Tuesday. “This is not long-term. I think we’re being conservative [with the injury], which I’m a fan of. You’ll see him back.”

When we’ll see him again remains to be seen. The Cavs will only have six more regular-season games after Wednesday. The goal is to make sure he’s ready to go for the playoffs, but is fully recovered. It’s a balancing act that Atkinson is trying to hit with Jerome and the roster as a whole.

“I just talked to him, he definitely wants to get three or four games in,” Atkinson said. “He doesn’t want to go the whole time [until the playoffs without playing], and we don’t want to play it too conservative. We want him to get his rhythm before that.”

The Cavs need Jerome at his best for the playoffs, specifically after the first round. Their bench units are reliant on his playmaking and off-the-dribble scoring to get going offensively.

Jerome is averaging 12.2 points and 3.3 assists per game on .509/.431/.868 shooting splits in 19.7 minutes per game.

Luke Travers is the only other Cavalier who will not be available for Wednesday’s game. He is not out due to any injury.

The Knicks play the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. They’re expected to be without Jalen Brunson for Wednesday’s game in Cleveland.