New York Knicks: The Key To Success Is Commitment

The System

Whether or not you believe the triangle offense can work, it’s undeniably true that the New York Knicks have yet to commit to it. For that matter, the Knicks have yet to commit to any offensive system—whether Phil Jackson’s or that of the head coach.

After committing to playing defense with heart, passion, and an unwavering level of intensity, the Knicks must commit to one offensive system.

It’s entirely understandable for a team to want to run a diverse offense, but it must first establish the fundamentals of the primary system. New York failed to do so in 2016-17, as it never seemed to commit to any one strategy before adding new elements to what was only loosely understood.

According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, head coach Jeff Hornacek acknowledged exactly that and plans to do things differently in 2017-18.

"“Everybody coming into next year, we got to buy into the one way that we do it,” Hornacek said. “We probably tried to piece too many things together this year and we could never get it together quick enough. So we’ll look at everything next year.”"

The Knicks have publicly committed to the triangle offense, which means the key to succeeding in 2017-18 will establishing an understanding of the system.

It’s entirely possible that the triangle offense is as dated and ineffective as legions of Knicks fans believe it to be. The team hasn’t committed to the truly learning the system since Phil Jackson arrived, as even Derek Fisher abandoned the introduction of the system.

One way or another, the Knicks need to commit to an offensive system if they’re going to maximize the potential of the team in place.