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In a stunning turn of events, Team USA fell to the German National team in their semifinals matchup and Jaren Jackson Jr. is aware that his lackluster performance is partly to blame.
The final score was a close one at 113-111 but it does not tell the whole story as Germany held a 12-point lead at one point while Team USA's biggest lead was only five. USA tried to rally for a massive comeback but they ultimately fell short and will now only be playing for the bronze medal.
One of the things that fans noticed was Team USA's lack of effort in crashing the boards and the team's big men have been criticized for it. In an interview, Jaren Jackson Jr. was asked if he had a response to the criticism he has received for his rebounding effort, or lack thereof.
"Nah, it's all good," said Jackson Jr.
Another question was thrown his way. This time, it was pointed out that despite being the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in the NBA, he was being considered as a defensive liability against Germany.
"It's tough, it happened like 12 hours ago," Jackson responded. "So, I was a liability, Defensive Player of the Year, that's tough."
The media and the fans did not hear exactly what was running through Jaren Jackson Jr.'s mind as he remained reserved throughout the interview. However, he seemed to acknowledge the criticisms made towards him as he parroted the words used to describe his efforts against Germany.
Jaren Jackson Jr. struggled against Germany
The total rebounding numbers between Team USA and Team Germany were also quite close just like the final score as the Germans only had two more rebounds than Team USA (30-28).
However, the Germans had a clear advantage on the offensive side as they came away with 12 offensive boards compared to USA's seven. Team Germany's efforts in crashing the boards resulted in 25 second chance points while Team USA only had eight points from putbacks.
Jaren Jackson Jr. himself only came away with a total of three rebounds which has been the norm for him as he has only averaged 2.9 boards throughout the tournament.
Another notable stat between Team USA and Team Germany were the amount of points that were scored in the paint. The German Team scored 50 of their 113 points from the paint as they consistently attacked the rim throughout the night.
Fans might have expected this number to be much lower since the Memphis Grizzlies bigman was expected to have a bigger impact on the defensive end especially because he averaged 3.0 blocks per game in the NBA.
Unfortunately, this has not been the case in the FIBA World Cup as he has only averaged 0.9 blocks per game.
Guess the Bulls players in this quiz and it's not going to be easy!
