In this installment, Medina has an exclusive interview with trainer Dave Williams on New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson ahead of the team’s Eastern Conference Finals matchup against the Indiana Pacers. The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed. What do you make of Jalen’s season and playoff run in context of his previous seasons? Williams: “I’m just so excited for him and happy for him with all of his accomplishments and everything he has going on. For him, I know he’s so strong-willed and strong-minded that he doesn’t feel like he’s living up to much and that there is so much more he can do — getting out of this Eastern Conference round, getting to the Finals, and making a run for the trophy. I’m very excited and very happy for him. But I just know he’s so level-minded. Everybody knows his mentality. He’s focused on just trying to get that trophy.” Beyond winning the championship, what more does he feel he can do considering he’s already done so much? Williams: “He’s never really satisfied with anything. He always knows he can do better. If he’s not making every shot, he wants to make every shot. He wants to make every play. He wants to do anything it takes to win. Watching him, I’ve seen that his defense has actually been more than good — especially his help-side defense and actually sitting down and playing one-on-one defense. I know he’s excited about that for himself. But putting the ball in the basket — he’s been doing that his whole life. That’s just kind of regular. A lot of people might not know or think of it that way, but he’s been doing this his whole life. That’s nothing new.” -via Responsible Gaming / May 21, 2025
