The NBA season is only two days old, but Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ty Jerome has already turned heads with his impactful play.
Jerome led the Grizzlies to a win in their opener against the Utah Jazz, carrying the team with 45 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Not only was he the leading scorer in the 123-103 victory, only one other player even reached 22 points on the night.
Jerome played in just 15 games for the Grizzlies last year, which was his first year in Memphis after two seasons as a backup for the Cleveland Cavaliers. In those 15 games, though, Jerome averaged over 19 points per game, which was a career high by seven points.
As long as he stays healthy, Jerome has a chance for a career-best season. However, one early look at MVP odds has Jerome vaulting to the top of the league and competing for the best player award.
Here's how Jerome's stellar night produced shocking MVP odds.
Grizzlies basketball now lives on DAZN
Catch every local Grizzlies broadcast, exclusively on DAZN
Ty Jerome's shocking NBA MVP odds
With every team through one game of the NBA season, Ty Jerome's dominant performance may have been the best of the first two days. Jerome played so well that he actually took the lead in Basketball Reference's MVP odds early on.
Based solely on how players played in their first games of the season, Basketball Reference listed Jerome with a 47.8 percent chance to win the MVP award. Jerome is followed by Damian Lillard and Anthony Edwards, who are the only other players above double digits.
While Jerome scored 45 points on Wednesday night, these large odds aren't only due to points scored, as Edwards also scored 45 points. Jerome was more efficient than Edwards, shooting 68 percent from the field, while the point guard also had seven rebounds, six assists, and a block.
Jerome will obviously not score 45 points per game this year, and it's unlikely that he can keep up any sort of MVP pace. However, Jerome is showing that he perhaps has another level he can reach as a player, and playing for a rebuilding team in Memphis could allow him to do that.
STREAM: Watch Grizzlies games live with DAZN
