Jalen Brunson’s Trainer: “He’s Focused On Just Trying To Get That Trophy”

Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Every week, Mark Medina shares his thoughts and insights on the latest NBA topics for RG. 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.”

He’s also been a clutch player his whole career. But what has gone into him being so clutch in almost every playoff game?

Williams: “I would say more so it’s his mindset. He’s so clear-minded. It doesn’t matter to him — no situation is bigger than another. When the fourth quarter comes, that’s just Jalen. That’s what he does. He’s been doing it all of his life, so it’s really nothing new.”

What do you think about the debate on where he ranks among Knicks greats and Greg Anthony likening Jalen’s mindset to Michael Jordan?

Williams: “I’ve been with Jalen for nine years now. I was with him when he won National Player of the Year at Villanova. His junior year is when I started working with him. I basically learned from his dad about the whole training aspect — what he wants, what he needs, and what he adds. As he started rising higher in the NBA, I started studying the game myself and learned what he needed. I was back-and-forth with his dad because his dad was his trainer growing up and during the season. I’m more of the summer guy. So getting back to his mindset, it has always been the same. Every summer, we talk about what goals he wants and what he wants to improve. We sit and have a conversation — me, him, and his dad. Then we just get after it.

Our training sessions are something different. It’s a story in and of itself.”

Can you give us a peek behind the curtain on what those sessions are like?

Williams: “Our training sessions are very, very fundamental. We lock in on his catch-and-shoots. We definitely work on pivots, footwork, and touch shots. We get into all of that. But we also play one-on-one every single day. I play defense and he plays offense. Then we get into our body. I played basketball myself, so nobody really wants to lose. I lose every time (laughs). It’s kind of a regular thing for me to lose. But it’s fine — I do it for the joy and just for the competition. We go back and forth. It’s pretty interesting.”

You say you lose every time. But I saw you posted on IG a video of you swiping the ball. And then Jalen said in the comments that the play was a ‘fluke.’ How did you view that?

Williams: (laughs) “I can break it down a little. Our workouts are usually about an hour and a half. Sometimes they go into the two-hour range. Then it turns into a one-on-one battle, which adds another hour and some change. We do seven spots. We play on the elbow because Jalen is a post-up guard. We go through both elbows on the post, then both elbows at the foul line, then both wings, and finally the top of the key behind the 3-point line. We usually go around two or three times until I’m tired — he’s never tired. The game goes to four. My stop is any miss. He can shake me out of my shoes and miss a shot — that’s still my point. Any make is his point. If we do two rounds at 14 spots, I’ll usually lose 11-3. I’ve won before. I’ve won two days in maybe eight years.”

How does Jalen handle those rare losses?

Williams: “He never wants to get off the floor until he wins. I’ve never won a day. But I’ve won before, and he’ll want to keep playing. I can’t really say no. He’ll never leave without winning.”

You also posted, ‘JB really treats the whole NBA like me in the summertime’ with laughing emojis.

Williams: “Yeah, it looks so familiar. I always argue with him. We talk a little trash back and forth. I’m like, ‘What do you expect me to do? There are people getting paid $200 million to stop you — and they can’t. What do you expect me to do? I can’t stop you, but I can try.’”

What are your favorite times of trash-talking and competition during your one-on-one battles with Jalen?

Williams: “One specific time would be when we started working on a move he uses often called a ‘swing step.’ He hit me with it once and I almost fell out of my shoes. He ran around the gym acting crazy. People were watching. That’s when I thought, ‘At the end of the day, I can’t do anything with this guy.’ When he was at Villanova, I could win a little more. But by his second year in Dallas, there was nothing I could do anymore.”

With you, him, and his pops going over his goals every summer, what did you all determine were his goals heading into this season?

Williams: “When he was in Dallas, our workouts changed once he got to New York. The workouts were basically the same, but they evolved. In New York, I knew he’d have the ball in his hands all the time. In Dallas, he played alongside Luka [Dončić], who was more ball-dominant. So in New York, we focused more on one-on-one moves and shooting off the dribble. We did more pick-and-roll work and had him shooting threes off the pick-and-roll. We increased the threes a lot. When I hear commentators say he got better at shooting off the dribble, that has me smiling inside."

What were his goals after last season’s success and second-round exit?

Williams: “He definitely wanted to get out of the second round. But even with how great he already was, we focused on refining. We emphasized holding form, doing more one-on-one from the three-point line, and working on late-clock situations since he has the ball in those moments. I’d yell ‘Three, two, one!’ and he’d have to make a play. There would be defenders with hands in his face. We really emphasized the clutch moments. I’m not saying I had anything to do with that clutch gene — he is who he is — but we do train for it. We simulate the shot clock winding down. That’s what we emphasized all summer.”

What are examples of the fourth-quarter situational drills you used?

Williams: “I’d grab him, put him in situations where he had to get loose to catch the ball. Then once he had it, we’d play one-on-one with a shot-clock simulator or someone counting down. I use what we call ‘the Wemby’ — it’s a black handle to help me contest shots better, since I’m only 5-foot-9. Then he has to shoot over that with a hand in his face.”

So it’s like using a broom to simulate a big defender?

Williams: “Yeah, close to that. We use it, and he gets a little angry sometimes because it’s unrealistic. I’m 5’9” — I don’t have a 7’3” wingspan. But it seems to help, because he can shoot over anybody.”

I know the Karl-Anthony Towns trade happened just before the season started, but how much of Jalen’s offseason work helped build chemistry with KAT?

Williams: “I wouldn’t say it’s about the workouts. It’s about who Jalen is. I don’t know KAT personally — I’ve met him once or twice when he was with Jalen — but Jalen is the ultimate team guy and one of the best leaders I’ve seen. That pick-and-roll with KAT — who’s more of a pick-and-pop guy — leaves the lane open for Jalen unless he’s getting blitzed. If he is, he can swing it to KAT, who’s probably the best shooting big ever. He says that himself, and I’m close to believing it.

I worked out Mikal [Bridges] for two or three weeks last summer in New Jersey. That’s all we did — those fadeaways he now hits in games. His defense is amazing. That’s one of Jalen’s best friends, so I’m happy for him, Josh [Hart], and all of those guys.”

You work with Jalen in the summer, and his dad works with him during the season. How do you and his dad collaborate on training?

Williams: “His dad started all of this. I didn’t do this alone. He laid the foundation. I’ve just helped over the last nine years and hopefully beyond. I worked with Rick at Camden High School before he was an assistant coach with the Knicks. He called me and asked me to be his assistant, and we got really close. I can call him about anything. He’s one of my best friends."

What do you expect from the Knicks and Jalen in the East Finals?

Williams: “I’m expecting a win. The Pacers are a tough team. As a basketball fan, I see it going to seven games. I have the Knicks winning at Madison Square Garden. Hopefully, I can be there. Tyrese [Haliburton] and that team are dangerous. I worked out Obi [Toppin], so I know how they play. I’ve been watching all season, thinking about what Jalen needs to work on this summer. The Pacers are fast and score at a high clip, but I think the Knicks will slow that down. And Jalen will be Jalen.”

With how well he’s playing, there’s more talk about where he ranks among Knicks all-time greats. Where do you stand?

Williams: “I don’t want to disrespect the legends. I didn’t get to see Willis Reed or Clyde Frazier live. I barely saw Patrick [Ewing]. I did get to see ‘Melo and JR Smith. But I saw a stat that blew my mind — in the last three years, the Knicks have won 21 playoff games. The 10 years before that? They only won six. That’s wild.

I also saw that Jalen has scored 102 fourth-quarter points — more than Kobe — and has the most 30-point games and second-most 40-point games in Knicks history, all in just three years. If he puts a banner up there, I think he is that guy. That’s 100%. If he stays for seven or eight more years — he already has the most playoff points by any Knick — he’s going to blow everything out of the water. Not to disrespect the older guys, but I’d say he’s top three. But to me, he’s No. 1. That’s my guy.”

But it sounds like you’re saying he’s still writing his story — still chasing that championship.

Williams: “Yeah, but I love how the fans have treated him. The love is amazing. In New York, he can’t even walk the streets. It’s crazy. Honestly, between me, his dad, and his mom — none of us expected this. I only saw it because I was training him. I thought, ‘There’s no way this guy isn’t an All-Star.’ Everyone criticized that $100 million deal with the Knicks, saying he didn’t deserve it. I didn’t get it. But knowing Jalen, I knew what was about to happen. And now it’s happening.”

Since you’ve worked with Jalen for so long, what moment made you a true believer that he could get to this level?

Williams: “The turning point was when he had 41 against Utah in Game 2 of the 2022 playoffs, and Luka wasn’t playing. He was averaging about 16 with Luka, but even in regular-season games without Luka, he’d drop 28. But the playoffs are a different beast. After that 41, I knew — he really is one of those guys. Then when he got to New York, everything blew up. All those media people are eating their words now."

"That’s what he thrives on. He’s human. He sees and hears everything on Twitter and Instagram. But he’s not the type to talk about it. He just uses it as fuel.”

You mentioned the crazy fandom. What’s your favorite fan moment?

Williams: “One time we got ice cream in New York during the summer — not during the season, obviously. We were at a red light, and a guy walked by wearing a Jalen jersey. Jalen rolled down the window and said, ‘Hey yo man, nice jersey!’ The guy said, ‘Oh, thanks!’ but couldn’t really see us because it was dark, the car had tinted windows, and Jalen had sunglasses on. Then Jalen rolled the window up. The guy and his friend looked shocked — like, ‘Was that Jalen?!’ So the guy ran up to the car. Jalen being Jalen, gave him an autograph and had a five-minute conversation. That made the guy’s day. It was great to see.”