The triangle offense was famously implemented with success by the great Phil Jackson when he was a head coach. Ever since he joined the New York Knicks as team president 2014, Jackson has tried to implement the triangle, but hasn’t had success.
Ever since taking over and implementing the triangle in New York, the Knicks are 49-117. With Jeff Hornacek now at the helm as the team’s head coach, Jackson has given him the ability to tweak the triangle to fit the team’s skillset. While Jackson hopes that will work, one player on the Boston Celtics doesn’t think it will.
“I just think if you don’t have Kobe or Shaq or Michael Jordan, the triangle doesn’t work,” Isaiah Thomas told the Daily News.
Shots fired?
Well, Thomas did play under Hornacek in Phoenix and described the system when he was there as “Shoot threes and lay-ups,” Thomas said. “That’s what he wants.”
That doesn’t exactly work well in the triangle.
“I love it. I love playing in kind of with the ball in my hands throughout the course of the game. It’s something I’ve always kind of done and felt comfortable with. It’s just like the last couple of years with the offense we’ve been running we didn’t run much pick and rolls. It wasn’t that type of offense,” Carmelo Anthony said. “I think now with the pace we’re trying to play, the way we’re trying to play, implement more of that style of play. That’s going to call for me to have the ball in my hands a little bit. Playing pick and roll, try to figure out the defenses, use mismatches. I’m all for it.”
“He’ll figure it out, even if he does do it a little bit. I see they’re trying to run it every now and then,” said Thomas. “I mean, it might work. Just hopefully not against us.”
But once again, Hornacek doesn’t think it’ll be a situation where he has success without the triangle. Instead, he’ll have success with the triangle in place. The head coach has stated that his players are fine with the triangle in its current state despite what players like Thomas have said in recent weeks.
It’ll be interesting to see if the triangle works with the current Knicks roster. However, while New York expects Derrick Rose to be at the top of the key to help run the offense, his off the court legal issues could impact the Knicks’ plans.
