The Los Angeles Lakers’ backup center spot was a concern heading into this season and remains prevalent now. However, general manager Rob Pelinka is trying to address this need through two-way contracts, recently signing Trey Jemison III.
Unfortunately, that came at the expense of waiving Quincy Olivari, who made a name for himself during the preseason. L.A. has shifted its focus with their three two-way spots by signing frontcourt players in Jemison, Christian Koloko and Armel Traore.
Notably, Jemison signed a two-year contract with the Lakers, possibly signifying a belief in developing the 25-year-old into a viable option down the line, via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype:
The Los Angeles Lakers signed center Trey Jemison to a two-year, two-way deal, league sources told @hoopshype. He’s averaged 5.1 points on 53.6 percent shooting and 4.3 rebounds in 18 minutes over two seasons combined with the Wizards, Grizzlies, and Pelicans. pic.twitter.com/GBJhlT61QS
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) January 17, 2025
Head coach JJ Redick shared his thoughts on this new addition to the team.
“I think, first of all, a big body,” Redick said about Jemison. “And plays extremely hard. With Christian and what we’ve asked of him, some because of Jaxson’s injury, but we have to sort of manage his days. And Trey gives us another body, another physical player. We kind of went away from those two-big lineups. It’s something we did last night. It’s something we’re gonna try to get back to for small stretches of games. It doesn’t mean we won’t play small ever. But that’s something that when we can get some practice time, we can really work on those small-ball looks.
“So for Trey, I think he’s gonna have an opportunity at times to be out there with AD. He’s gonna have an opportunity, at times, to play solo big, depending on who’s available. Obviously, Jaxson’s our backup center. Not saying he’s gonna play over Jaxson. But getting him in the program was important for us. We obviously did intel on him. He’s high character, high energy, smart player, too. High-basketball IQ. Super humble. We’re excited to have him.”
Up to this point, L.A. has lacked a physical backup as Jaxson Hayes, Christian Wood, and Koloko rely on their athleticism or quick feet. Bringing in Jemison, who weighs 270 pounds, offers a bigger body and could certainly provide a presence when Anthony Davis needs a breather.
Granted, he is on a two-way contract for a reason, but having a player who can muck it up in the paint can go a long way. This further shows that Pelinka and Redick are looking for a heavy-set center to backup Davis.
Perhaps, Jemison could showcase that as he gets an opportunity.
Quincy Olivari expresses appreciation for Lakers, LeBron James
The sudden move to cut Quincy Olivari was a surprising one given his story of getting to the NBA. Unfortunately, Olivari experienced the business side of the league, but he expressed appreciation for the Lakers and getting to learn from LeBron James.
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