Ty Jerome Got A Shot Clock Violation After Dribbling For 24 Seconds Without Considering A Shot Or Pass

Shot clock violations are always deflating for an offense, as the inability to get a shot off that hits the rim in 24 seconds is rather embarrassing, but is usually to the credit of the opposing defense.

Great rotations, closeouts, and ball denials are typically on display when teams force a shot clock violation, but on Wednesday night Thunder guard Ty Jerome did something that I honestly don’t think I have ever seen on an NBA court when he dribbled for 24 uninterrupted seconds without even considering taking a shot or passing the ball until the buzzer sounded.

I have a lot of questions about this possession, because none of it makes sense. For one, the Thunder are down 15 late in the third quarter, so if there were ever a time to go fairly quickly and ensure you get a 2-for-1 to end the quarter, it’d be here. Instead, Jerome slowly strolls across the midcourt line and then stands there, bleeding clock, as if they’re playing it like the final possession of the quarter. Eventually Aleksej Pokusevski comes and fakes setting a screen and pops out way beyond the three-point line, which Jerome ignores and turns baseline on Scottie Barnes.

Jerome can’t shake Barnes, doesn’t pass to Lu Dort in the corner, and spins back to the middle of the court where there is a chance to kick out to Theo Maledon on the wing for a three as his defender is in no-man’s land kind of digging down. But Jerome again chooses to put his head down, but gets cut off once he gets to the baseline by Barnes, spinning and realizing there’s no chance for a shot at this point. Finally he decides he should probably pass the ball and finds Dort on the wing, but the problem is, at this point, there are 0.3 seconds on the clock and the buzzer sounds before the ball even gets halfway to Dort for one of the most breathtakingly bad possessions you’ll see in the NBA this season.

Barnes deserves credit for some terrific on-ball defense, but at some point Jerome has to give up the rock here because this clearly wasn’t working. Anyways, the NBA Draft Lottery is May 27.