New York Knicks captain Jalen Brunson took responsibility for the team’s offensive organization and late-game decision-making after the defending champions fell to 0-3 with a 111-102 loss to the Orlando Magic on Sunday.
Brunson scored 28 points at Madison Square Garden, but New York struggled to close out the game, committing eight of its 14 turnovers in the fourth quarter. The Knicks led by 10 points with 9:20 remaining before Orlando mounted a comeback, outscoring them 40-27 in the final period.
Asked about the turnovers and the offense’s struggles late in games, Brunson pointed to his own decisions and the team’s shooting.
“Decision-making by me late in the game,” Brunson said. “Ball’s not falling in for us. I think we’ve gotten some good looks throughout the game, but there are the little things throughout the game that we can control that can help contribute to wins, and so we just got to get back to that.”
Brunson also stressed the importance of focusing on details and responding to adversity as a group.
“Find whatever it takes to win. Control what you can control. Focus on the little details that may seem small but can impact winning. Most importantly, together,” he said.
The Knicks have shown promising stretches in each of their first three games but have struggled to maintain their level of play. Brunson acknowledged that the team cannot rely on its championship success from last season to carry it through the current difficulties.
“When we get those runs, we start to look like the team that we’ve been in the past. We get a little comfortable, so we got to continue to put our foot on the gas and execute things that we did last year,” Brunson said. “We’re not going to be the same. We’re not going to be the way we were playing last year. That’s just human nature.”
The point guard also accepted responsibility for helping his teammates get organized and into the right positions offensively.
“Organization on my part and making sure we’re in the right place to execute what we have to do,” Brunson said. “Everything falls on my shoulders. So I just got to be a better leader when it comes to that, when it comes to making sure our guys are ready to go in the right spots.”
Brunson said the early-season struggles could become a learning experience, provided the Knicks respond appropriately.
“We’re hitting adversity now, and how we’re going to respond,” he said. “We have to accept this part of the journey and find a way to be better, and hopefully throughout a couple games we’re going to look back from it and say, ‘Yeah, we grew from that.’”
The Knicks will try to earn their first victory of the season when they host the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday.
