The triangle offense carries a lot of weight in the NBA. It’s the offense that Phil Jackson utilized as head coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, an offense that he won 11 championships using. It’s an offense perfected by all-time greats like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Scottie Pippen, perfected by slick passing big men like Pau Gasol, and now, the triangle offense and all the gravitas that surrounds it has found its way to the Big Apple.
New York Knicks President of Basketball Operations, Phil Jackson, accepted his new position with the intention of rebuilding a broken franchise into a perennial championship contender. To do so, he has attempted to instill his triangle offense, a major reason why he hired Derek Fisher as head coach. Fisher was Jackson’s starting point guard for the Lakers for nine seasons, a period in which Fisher and Jackson won five NBA titles. Simply put, Fisher is a veteran of the triangle offense, and he knows how to run it. Watching the Knicks in the summer league, we saw the triangle offense in full force. The summer leaguers executed the offense quite well, which is very encouraging. Upon introduction to a team full of savvy, experienced veterans, the offense can truly take shape.
But how exactly does the offense work? Why is it named the triangle offense? What is required in running a triangle offense? What kind of players are needed? Do the players the Knicks have fit the triangle offense? All those questions will be answered shortly. It’s confusing, yes, but once you understand the triangle offense, you’ll truly appreciate its beauty when run correctly.
How the offense is run:
That video is essentially all you need to learn the offense, and it features the Knicks. Go figure!
What does it take to run the offense?
The offense has three major points of emphasis. They are as follows:
1. Movement- Every player on the court is in constant movement. The point guard takes the ball up, swings it to a player on the wing, and then flies to the strong side corner. When the ball is delivered to the player on the high post, the point guard, along with the wing player who passed it into the post, cut to the basket. The other low post player curls into the paint, where he can receive the ball for a quick jumper or hook shot. There are plenty of dribble hand offs, backdoor cuts, etc., and it all stems from the player at the low post. That’s why it’s so intrinsic to have a versatile player at the 4 or the 5 (we’ll get there later). The triangle offense is named the triangle offense because literal triangles are formed due to player movement. When the point guard moves into the corner, it creates a triangle with the wing player and the low post player. The ball can be moved around to essentially any area of the court from there. The point guard can get the ball back and take a jump shot, the wing player or point guard can get the ball when cutting to the basket, the other post player can hook around to get the ball, and the guard on the weak side can make a cut after setting a screen to the weak side post player. While it’s very confusing to explain verbally (which is why I included the video to help visualize) the point is that the offense creates a ton of shot options by constant, flowing movement.
2. Space- Spacing is important in any offense– the ability to properly space the floor results in clean offensive production. That’s why it’s bad to have, say 3 big men on the court at the same time (talking about you, Detroit Pistons), because you’ll have 3 big bodies lumped in the paint, allowing the defense to collapse. The triangle gives each player around 15-20 feet of space when they are engaged in the triangular formation. This allows movement, as players can move freely without running into their teammates. It sounds fundamental, but it’s incredibly difficult to properly execute spacing. It keeps passing lanes and cutting lanes open, and gives open defenders extra space upon double teams.
3. Versatility- Probably the most important facet of the triangle offense when considering the players involved is versatility. In theory, every player on the court should be able to pass or shoot at any given moment. That’s why it’s so important to have big men who are able to pass and shoot from the midrange. Pau Gasol was perfect in the Lakers triangle offense for that precise reason: he’s a fantastic passer, and also has a strong midrange game. He is patient, keeps his head up, and is able to survey all possible options before making a pass or taking a shot. If a player is versatile, he can take advantage of all available options. A point guard who can pop a corner three, or cut to the basket, or take a dribble hand-off and explode to the rim. A shooting guard who can properly deliver the ball to the high post, and then cut towards the basket. A power forward who has the ability to hook into the lane, and the quick reflexes to take a shot in the paint or pass it to a cutting teammate. A small forward who can set a screen down low, then either pop out for a jumper or go in strong for a layup. That’s why the triangle offense is best executed with complete players, who can pass, shoot, and most importantly, possess a high basketball IQ.
If those three factors are executed properly, in a span of five seconds, the triangle offense opens up at least 340 shot opportunities. To put that into perspective, the most field goal attempts ever by an NBA team in one game was 153- in triple overtime. That number is more than doubled, in a span of five seconds. With the proper players on the court, it’s likely that one of those options will result in a good shot.
Do the Knicks have the players that compliment the offense?
Kind of. When you look at the Knicks position by position, they’re fine on the wings. JR Smith and Iman Shumpert are smart enough to know how to move and space the floor correctly, and they each can make passes or make shots. Jose Caulderon is a capable point guard, who can take a leadership role in the running of the offense. But the three players who are the most important to the offense’s success are Carmelo Anthony, Andrea Bargniani, and Amar’e Stoudemire. Those are going to be the guys in the high post area, which means that the offense will be run through them. Anthony, from the outside, looks like he can thrive in his position. If he plays power forward, he can face up and go to work one-on-one with his defender, but he also has the passing ability and composure to hold the ball at the high post position. Some big men have the tendency to panic and get rid of the ball when they don’t get it on the low block. Anthony won’t have that issue. He’s going to want to be the power forward, because then the offense will be able to run through him. To an extent, Bargniani is capable as well. He has the shooting ability to stretch the floor at the high post, but he lacks skill in the two most important facets of the triangle offense- he isn’t a great passer, and he doesn’t move well. That’s why Barginani is better served on the weak side, where he’ll hook around and try and get open in the paint or near the free throw line for a jump shot. That’s where Amar’e Stoudemire comes in. He’s the best finisher down in the low post between the two, and he’s made a career out of exploding off picks and getting open shots. If Smith or Shumpert give him a screen on the weak side, he can loop around and get an open shot in the paint. I’d put my money on Stoudemire being more accurate in that area than Bargniani. That’s why the Knicks most effective triangle lineup would have Anthony and Stoudemire at the power forward and center spot, respectively. While that would be a defensive nightmare, the two of them in that system could solve the perpetual question that has been asked about the Knicks ever since Anthony was acquired from Denver: How can Anthony and Stoudemire coexist offensively? In the triangle offense, they sure can. Stoudemire wouldn’t fit well in the high post area, because his decision making is suspect, but he could work wonders on the weak side.
Despite all of the questions surrounding the Knicks, ‘Bocker fans can rest easy knowing that they possess a franchise centerpiece in Carmelo Anthony that fits the triangle offense quite well. He can work face up with the basket, he can make good decisions passing, and he has the composure to handle the ball at the high post. This is also a reason why the Knicks will go all out for Marc Gasol next summer- he will be even better at manning the high post, giving Anthony more offensive freedom to move around. If Jackson if able to pull that coup, then the Knicks triangle offense will be truly formidable.
Conclusion: Does the Triangle’s success stem from the players, or the system?
This is the biggest question that surrounds the triangle offense, and one that has followed Phil Jackson throughout his years of coaching. Can the success of the offense be attributed to the system, or the players in the system? Yes, Jackson coached the offense perfectly, but he also had Bryant, Jordan, Pippen, and Gasol. That’s why this season will be the ultimate decider, for several reasons. Can Derek Fisher properly implement the system? The signs of the summer league paired with his prior experience point to yes, but we won’t truly know until the Knicks tip off the regular season. And the Knicks don’t possess a perfect assortment of players to run the triangle. Ideally, Anthony wouldn’t be operating at the high post- a multi-talented big man like Marc Gasol would. But Anthony will need to assume the role, which puts a lot of players potentially out of position. That’s why this season will be the determining factor- if the offense succeeds, than the system is proven to work. If it doesn’t… Phil will need to overhaul the roster once again this coming summer. It’ll be enticing to see how it all goes down.
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