Knicks Rumors: Pros and cons of hiring David Blatt

Pro: Offensive Creativity

David Blatt runs a motion offense that emphasizes ball and player movement. It’s an interpretation of the Princeton Offense, although he’s displayed an ability to adapt to his personnel—a promising truth to embrace.

Jeff Hornacek did an excellent job of improving the rate of ball movement, but the New York Knicks still need to find a way to play as a team.

Blatt’s offense is essentially a read-and-react system that offers quick hits and efficient shot attempts. The ball is supposed to move without hesitation, thus allowing shooters to find open looks and slashers to exploit driving lanes.

Blatt also does an excellent job of exploiting mismatches. A shining example is how he’ll utilize the pick and roll against traditional bigs to highlight their weaknesses.

What makes his system so intriguing, however, is that he’ll happily scrap what worked the previous game if a different approach is needed for the next matchup. He knows exactly how to maximize his bigs’ efficiency, and is certainly adept at creating efficient action for his guards.

Simply put: Blatt has the offensive creativity to help Tim Hardaway Jr., Frank Ntilikina, and Kristaps Porzingis thrive, as well as the role players around them.