Trey Jemison nominated one La Lakers veteran who coached him, not LeBron James.
The Los Angeles Lakers formally finish with a 50-32 record for the season, following a recent 109-81 defeat at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Despite having only two games out of the play-in tournament, the Lakers’ record is enough to win the third seed in the Western Conference.
Purple and Gold will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round of the playoffs, but there are not many familiar faces on the roster, including Tray Jemison for the Lakers.
A pickup during the season, Jemison served as a key rotation player for head coach JJ Redick for some time. Along the way, Jemison loved spending time with Lakers players.
Speaking of their interactions, Jemison highlighted his relationship with Markieff Morris.
“I love it. I know my role mentally, as an expert. The biggest thing about being in the NBA is learning how to stay with it.
“Markieff Morris is a great vet who will learn about your role and teach you how to help guys win the game, and that’s my goal this year.
“Give me the words of wisdom, leave me spiritually rooted, encourage me, tell me life, he’s just a great guy.”
Morris joined the Lakers as part of the infamous Luka Donsic trade. He played just eight games for the team, but Morris has already established himself as a key voice in the locker room.
The 25-year-old center played 22 games for the Lakers during the regular season. In these contests, he averaged 2.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game, while shooting 61.9% off the field.
These are not bad numbers for the relief centre, given that he played just 10.3 minutes per game from the bench.
However, the second-year NBA center will have to wait for its playoff debut as it did not convert its contract into a standard contract that the Lakers qualify for feature in the postseason.
When asked about his contract status, Jemison said, “You want to ask them (the Lakers) about it.”