New York Knicks: Pick and roll should be a key on offense

The New York Knicks are attempting to build a balanced and efficient offense. New York should embrace a play it rarely ran in 2016-17: The pick and roll.

The New York Knicks failed to make the playoffs in 2016-17 because of their abhorrent play on defense. True as that may be, the Knicks also executed with underwhelming efficiency on offense, credited in large part to a system that didn’t quite fit the personnel on the roster.

Thankfully, 2017-18 will provide a new opportunity for the players and coaching staff to create a system that better fits the personnel and vision.

One could easily make a case that no individual play has become more prominent in the modern NBA than the pick and roll. Previously viewed as something of a gimmick, it’s become the foundation for a number of explosive offenses.

The Knicks don’t necessarily need to build their offense around the play, but it would behoove the coaching staff to run it with more consistency than it did in 2016-17.

New York ranked in the bottom third of the NBA in pick and roll plays run per game. It was admittedly attempting to introduce a system of its own, but the borderline refusal to run the play didn’t quite fit the personnel it had on the roster.

Come 2017-18, head coach Jeff Hornacek shouldn’t be afraid to run the play that he’s experienced past success with. The New York Knicks should embrace the pick and roll.