After Team USA's 78-game win streak came to an end in a stunning exhibition loss to Team Australia, the squad rebounded against Team Canada on Monday morning in Sydney, Australia. The USA won 84-68, thanks in part to a strong outing from Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown.
Brown finished with 19 points as Team USA's leading scorer. And after the contest, he spoke about his performance.
"It felt good," said Brown in an interview with NBA TV. "Just trying to come out, play my game, and be aggressive."
Brown wasn't the only Celtics player to find success against Canada. Kemba Walker, who led the team with 22 points in the loss to Australia, tallied 12 points, five rebounds and two assists in the victory.
Despite his success, Brown was focused on the improvements Team USA can make moving forward as it looks to live up to the standard set by American teams past in the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
"It's a process, but we've got to speed up that learning curve," Brown said. "We can't have any drop-offs. We have a great responsibility on our shoulders so we got to come out and play good basketball."
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Of course, given the extensive history of Team USA's success, it enters the World Cup as a favorite. But this team hasn't played together much in the lead-up to the tournament, as many of the regulars for the squad over the course of the past decade elected to sit out.
Still, Brown was optimistic the team would have a chance to succeed moving forward.
"The sky's the limit for this group," Brown said. "We just gotta be able to lock in and believe in each other."
This experience with Team USA should be a net-positive for Brown and the other Celtics on the squad, as chemistry was an issue for the team last season. Having to build chemistry quickly with a lot of new teammates should prepare them for the same challenge they will be facing ahead of the 2019-20 season, as the Celtics will return just eight players maximum from last year's squad.
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