Lakers Center Named Knicks Next Target

New York also signed backcourt depth stars Malcolm Brogdon and Garrison Mathews this week, creating a competition for the final veteran spots on the roster.

Jemison, 25, recently wrapped up his second NBA season, which featured 22 games with the Lakers, who signed him in January after his waived by the New Orleans Pelicans. Working between Los Angeles and the G League club in South Bay, Jemison averaged 2.8 rebounds and 2.6 points with the big club. Entering the Association as an undrafted free agent out of Clemson and UAB in 2023, Jemison has also repped the Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies.

The new signings of Brogdon, Mathews, and Shamet, as well as the prior addition of Jordan Clarkson, continue a prevalent theme of this Knicks' offseason, one that has seen them focus on bench depth and scoring after finishing dead-last statistically in the latter category last year.

But New York also learned about frontcourt roster work the hard way in Karl-Anthony Towns' first tour as the starting center, which partly contributed to a slow start that they recovered well enough from to reach the Eastern Confernece Finals for the first time in a quarter-century.

New York's interior depth was partly shored up when they added 6-8, 265-lb. Guerschon Yabusele as a free agent from the Philadelphia 76ers. The depth behind Towns endured several medically-induced absences, including those of Precious Achiuwa and Mitchell Robinson, throughout last season, forcing the Knicks to temporarily turn to the rookie Ariel Hukporti, the final pick of the 2024 draft.