Jalen Brunson is accepting responsibility for the Knicks’ slow start after the defending champs fell to 0-3 with a home loss to Orlando Sunday night, writes Vincent Goodwill of ESPN. The star guard led the team in scoring with 28 points, but it came on a rough shooting night as he went 12-of-28 from the field and 1-of -7 from beyond the arc.

“Everything falls on my shoulders,” Brunson told reporters. “I just got to be a better leader when it comes to that, when it comes to our guys are ready to go in the right spots. There’s a lot of other little things, but it’s organization on my part.”

New York became the first title team to lose its first three games of the following season since Dallas did it in 2011, according to Goodwill. There have been a variety of issues so far, but the most glaring has been a difficulty in scoring, as the Knicks entered the game ranked 29th in offensive efficiency and continued to misfire from three-point range, sinking just 9-of 37 attempts (23.7%) on Sunday. The defense also collapsed with the game on the line, allowing 40 points in the fourth quarter and letting a double-digit lead slip away.

“One thing I said throughout the entire training camp, and honestly to this day, is we’re going to see who we are within the first couple weeks of the season,” Brunson said. “So, we’re hitting adversity now. How are we going to respond?”

There’s more from New York:

• Backup center Andre Drummond, who was signed in free agency to replace Mitchell Robinson, was pulled from Sunday’s game in the second quarter for an apparent lack of effort, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. It happened after Drummond was slow getting back on defense, allowing Orlando center Wendell Carter Jr. to score in transition. Coach Mike Brown called a time out and removed Drummond from the game for the night. He was replaced by James Wiseman, who went scoreless with two rebounds in seven minutes. Drummond wasn’t told why he was benched, but he said, “You can make the guess for me,” adding that he’s “probably not” owed an explanation.
• In a pre-game meeting with the media, Brown emphasized that while his starters are set, everyone else will have to earn their minutes, Bondy adds. “First thing I wanna make clear is we have our starting five. Other than that, anybody can play,” Brown said. “When you’re a backup in this league, that doesn’t mean you’re always gonna be the seventh man or you’re always gonna be the eighth man. 
• Brown also explained why the team parted with Kevin McCullar Jr. when Dalton Knecht was signed to a two-way contract on Friday (Twitter video link from SNY). “It wasn’t anything that Kevin didn’t do, he was great,” Brown said. “… It was more so having the opportunity to bring a guy like Dalton on just to get to know him a little bit better.”