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New York Knicks: Five Reasons The Triangle Offense Still Works

By Maxwell Ogden

Jan 28, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks president Phil Jackson watches a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks president Phil Jackson watches a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 10, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich gives direction to his team against the Oklahoma City Thunder in game five of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
May 10, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich gives direction to his team against the Oklahoma City Thunder in game five of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /

5. It’s Alive And Well

If you believe the folk tales, then the triangle offense is an outdated system that has no place in the NBA. If you believe the film, then the triangle offense is a useful system that’s being incorporated in systems around the Association.

As Coach Nick of Basketball Breakdown so beautifully proved, the triangle offense is alive and well in the modern NBA.

The Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers, Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz, New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns, and Los Angeles Lakers can all be seen running triangle offense plays and schematics.

That’s a high number of teams, including the past three NBA champions and 11 squads that made the 2016 NBA Playoffs, running a supposedly defunct and outdated system.

The triangle offense may not be something to live and die by, but suggesting it should be eradicated is ignorant to the facts. The system is all about creating space and providing the offense with multiple options and alternatives.

If the 11 2016 postseason teams that have implemented plays and aspects of the triangle offense have proven anything, it’s that it’s alive and well.

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