'That's on Me': Knicks' Jalen Brunson Shoulders Blame For Team USA Loss to Lithuania

New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson willingly took the lion's share of the blame for Team USA's slow start on Sunday, one that cost them a second-round showdown against Lithuania at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

The New York Knicks' present met the team's potential future on Sunday in Manila.

This year's FIBA Basketball World Cup afforded Knicks fans a chance to enter a very specific time machine: the team's current point guard, American-born Jalen Brunson, did battle against his possible Lithuanian successor, Rokas Jokubaitis, when their respective sides did battle in the competition's second round finale. 

Jokubaitis, one of the most intriguing talents in the Knicks' developmental ranks, and Lithuania prevailed in a 110-104 decision over Brunson and Team USA to close out second-round play in Manila on Sunday. 

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Both sides were locked into the competition based on perfect preliminary play slates but Lithuania (5-0) goes into the tournament stage unbeaten thanks to a dominant rebounding effort and seven different players reaching double figures. Jokubaitis fell just short of that group with nine points but dished out a team-best six assists, earning "a lot of respect" from Brunson, the Knicks' current franchise face.

Knicks fans can be intrigued by what Jokubaitis, acquired in a draft night trade with Oklahoma City in 2021, can offer in the future, but concern lingers for Brunson. One of the de facto leaders on the relatively open and free USA roster, Brunson has had an up-and-down trip abroad though he has consistently kept things loose and fun from a mental standpoint. 

When the fun abruptly ended for the Americans on Sunday, Brunson proved equally open and reliable in the face of a difficult situation.

"They executed their game plan and we just started too slow," Brunson said in video from Eurohoops. "We played way better in the second half and we waited too long to come to play. That’s on me, I have to come ready to play, I have to have everyone else ready to play. Respect to (Lithuania), they played great."

To Brunson's point, Team USA (4-1) fell behind 31-12 after the opening period and allowed Lithuania to sink 14 three-pointers, including each of its first nine. Thanks to a valiant effort headlined by Brunson and Anthony Edwards (Minnesota), the Americans came as close as four in the third quarter but one final Lithuanian onslaught from deep, with four more triples coming in the final frame, kept the USA at bay. 

Brunson was one of the most efficient posters on the American box score, earning 14 points and seven assists, the latter tied with Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana) for the team-best. Through points and assists, Brunson was directly responsible for 13 of the Americans' 28 points in the third period. Brunson completed a solid personal comeback with his effort, one that swept away a dismal 2-of-6 showing in the second-round opener against Montenegro. 

That, of course, isn't enough to win a gold medal, as World Cup games obviously take all 40 minutes into account when determining victors. 

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Brunson partly concurred with one questioner that, if Team USA was going to lose, it had at least "chosen" a good time to do so: both the American and Lithuanians were guaranteed entry into the eight-nation knockout round by virtue of their four prior wins. Some have even argued that the Americans have an easy path to next Sunday's World Cup finale next Sunday, as their side of the bracket features Italy, Germany, and Latvia as opposed to the NBA-heavy alternate side consisting of Canada, Serbia, Slovenia ... and, of course, Lithuania. 

But the Knicks' current star isn't taking anything for granted moving forward. 

“It has to be, we have no other choice. If not, we go home," Brunson said when asked if Sunday's loss was a wake-up call. "That’s pretty much it."