Late last Thursday, Jalen Brunson added another clutch shot to his resume.
Brunson hit a step-back 27-footer over Andrew Nembhard to give the short-handed Knicks a win at Indiana.
Highlights of the shot quickly ricocheted all over social media. It elicited a rare ‘double Bang’ from Mike Breen. Another game-winning shot from the 2025 Clutch Player of the Year.
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“Our MVP – the league’s MVP – Jalen Brunson,” Mike Brown said after the game.
Later in his press conference, Brown referenced another award. The coach named Trey Jemison III as his Defensive Player of the Game.
Jemison III had five rebounds, a block, five points and played strong team defense in a key second-half stretch against Indy.
“Trey’s physicality and communication in the second half was off the charts,” Brown said.
What you saw that night from Jemison III is the same intensity and effort he plays with in practices and workouts.
“He brings energy (to every practice), makes you compete in practice,” is how one Knick staffer described Jemison.
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Jemison has split time this season between the Knicks and their G League club, the Westchester Knicks. He’s one of several young players immersed in New York’s player development program.
All of the hours spent working with Knicks coaches have sharpened Jemison’s game (more on that below). But the foundation for his Jemison’s game – and the rest of his life – is his faith.
Jemison hosts regular Bible study sessions on his Instagram page.
He’s deeply spiritual and conducts study sessions to help his audience “understand the word of God.”
“A lot of times, people read the Bible, and it’s like all these old words and they’re like, ‘I’m not reading that.’ So I try to make it simple so people can stay (engaged),” Jemison says.
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He started doing study sessions on Instagram two years ago. At the time, Jemison says he had roughly 7,000 followers. Today, he has 70,000.
“When you go to God about something and you put him first, like, it’s crazy the things you can really do,” Jemison says.
From time to time, Jemison will hear from audience members impacted by his words.
“It’s just priceless,” he says. “It’s not an NBA game, not a dollar amount you can give (to match the value of) hearing somebody, say, ‘Hey you helped me get through a situation.’ That’s just, yeah, that’s a blessing for me.”
Jemison is one of the young Knicks heavily involved in the franchise’s player development program. New York has put resources into its program – hiring former St. Joseph’s coach Billy Lange to oversee things.
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Jemison says Lange and the whole player development group have helped him.
Case in point: before the season, players had to make 10 free throws before they could leave the gym. Jemison was having a tough time until members of the coaching staff delivered a message:
“You can make these free throws. You’re a good shooter.”
Jemison said the coach’s confidence helped him right away. From there, the Knicks worked a bit on Jemison’s form and his timing. After some fine-tuning, Jemison stopped getting stuck in the gym.
“Their belief in me, and they’re breaking down small small details… has switched it up completely,” Jemison says of his free throws.
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The former UAB star is grateful to be in New York, working with Lange and coaches like Mark Bryant and Carson Shanks and playing for Brown. Jemison and his agent, Derrick Powell of Dedicated Performance Sports, decided that the Knicks were a great option in part because of Brown.
The Knick head coach likes what he’s seen from the 26-year-old.
“He’s a physical presence. He’s a guy who communicates extremely well for a young guy,” Brown said earlier this season. “Guys like playing with him because they know he’s going to set screens and get them open. And he’s got good feet and a good motor.”
Jemison met with Lange and some Knicks coaches earlier this year to go through a development plan tailored for him. The plan remains in place when Jemison is with the big club or the G League team.
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“They have a growth path for me,” Jemison says. “They don’t just ignore you because you’re on a two-way (contract). They want me to get better and grow my game so when my name is called, I can help the Knicks be the best team they can possibly be.”
Jemison has worked with Shanks, Bryant and the group on passing this season. The coaches have Jemison III make live reads at a fast pace.
“Now in games, it’s super slow for me. I see the cut before it happens,” Jemison says. “Now I understand, if I gotta screen this man, make this next pass, I know where to put it before he even cuts.”
That skill was on display in Indiana when Jemison made a well-timed pass to Brunson in the first half.
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With the Knicks’ plans to rest rotation players at times over the course of the season, Jemison should have more opportunities to show what he’s learned under Lange and his group.
“My game is growing,” he says. “From my position coaches, to all my G League coaches, they are buying in and helping me set a higher standard for myself and it’s been great…. I love coming to work every day.”
