FAQ about The Triangle Offense, Phil Jackson's Next Destination : nba

Hi, /r/nba! Due to the recent coaching vacancies, there has been a lot of chatter and speculation about what teams Phil Jackson would fit with if he were to return to the bench as an NBA Head Coach. It's certainly justified, considering the winning pedigree that is associated with Phil, but it seems like not many people understand the pros and cons to Phil implementing the triangle offense on a team. Hopefully I can clear things up!

Here's my other FAQ about Chris Paul and the Lakers in case you missed it.

SOURCES

Specific triangle sets*

Triangle overview

Sport Science

BBall Breakdown

*I will be imgur'ing diagrams as I need to throughout my explanation, so you don't necessarily need to open this up.

Q: Why is it called the triangle offense?

A: Consider this MS Paint diagram:http://i.imgur.com/8oX3LHW.png *Note that this can be flipped to the other side of the court.

A triangle is formed by a player on the low post, the corner, and the wing. Your other perimeter player is located the top of the key, and your other big man is located at the free throw line extended. This formation is your starting point to an offensive set. It is also your ending point to an offensive set. Read: The primary goal of the triangle offense is to always revert back to this standard formation despite all the cuts and backscreens and whatnot that you execute. Therefore, you can technically run as many triangle sets as 24 seconds will allow.

The triangle offense has two components: the triangle itself, and the two-man game off to the side.

Q: Explain the goal of the triangle offense like I'm five.

A: On your basketball team, you have three smaller, quick guys and two big guys that can score close to the hoop. Three of these players should always make a triangle, even after you move around a lot. They can do this over and over again, if they need to.

Q: You make it sound like there are no positions (point guard, shooting guard, etc.).

A: Pretty much. The triangle boils down to three perimeter players and two low-post players, and their abilities to read the defense and make the correct pass based on the strengths and weaknesses of their teammates. In that sense, you have no specific roles such as "run the offense" for the point guard, or "get open for three" for the shooting guard.

Q: What makes the triangle different from other offenses?

A: Most offenses come in and call a play, and say "Defense, you had better hope you can keep up." Basically, they try to shove their plays down the defense's throat and force the defense to attempt to adapt to them. See: D'Antoni's 7SOL

The triangle, however, operates based on how the defense attempts to set up. It's almost like playing a game of rock paper scissors, except you stop for a second to see what your opponent chooses, then make your selection based on that observation. The defense is defending you with paper? Attack with your scissors.

Q: How does the triangle work?

A: There are three main ideas to the triangle offense: 1) The offense is set up to counter the defense. 2) You can pass to any of your teammates at any time, or are free to shoot at any time. 3) Spacing is superb.

1) The offense is set up the counter the defense.

Once the triangle is established, one read of the defense is ideally all it should take to get going. The defense is playing you straight up? There's a million and one counters to this.

Example: One option is a strongside pinch post, where one perimeter player gets a handoff from another. Depending on whether or not the defender goes over or under the screen, the perimeter player can either pull up or take it in. Notice the low post big man slide up the key for spacing and a possible passing option. http://i.imgur.com/ZoyDZYB.png

2) You can pass to any of your teammates at any time, or are free to shoot at any time.

Remember when I said that the triangle formation should be maintained despite all of the backcuts and screens and whatnot? To say it simply, the reason for this is that at some point during your sets, the defense is bound to break down. Here's an example of a counter to a pass to the wing being denied, stopping the initial triangle from being formed. O2 cuts around O5 into the corner, O1 passes to O3 who passes to O4 who has moved out on to the perimeter. O5 moves to the block of the new strong side and the new triangle has been formed. Notice all of the opportunities for open shots that can be generated from O2 cutting, and how easy it is for a defender to get caught ball watching. Through all of the motion and passing, defenses are bound to break down. Even if this is defended perfectly, the offense can run another set from this new triangle. This is what makes the triangle offense beautiful. Or...

3) Spacing is superb.

So what if the triangle is defended perfectly for a possession and the clock is running down? What then? You have no time to run another triangle set. This is where isolation players absolutely freakin' thrive, because even if triangle motion doesn't open up a teammate, you are left with plenty of space to operate. SportsScience (linked in SOURCES) says that the average amount of space between players in the triangle is around 15-20ft, meaning that a Jordan or a Kobe can easily go to work at any time in any given possession. Double teams are costly as well, because a help defender has to travel such a long distance if a pass is made to an open player.

Q: Can there be pick and rolls in a triangle offense?

A: Yes and no. PnRs are featured in some triangle sets, exhibited here, but they are not used as a means to score as they traditionally are. Rather, they are used to stimulate ball movement by the dribble (something that isn't really ideal in the triangle), create mismatches, and attempt to draw double teams.

There is an opportunity for the conventional pick-and-roll with the two man game component of the triangle, and the amount of spacing the two players gets is ideal for such a situation. This is looked down upon in terms of the philosophy of the triangle, however, because three teammates are standing by watching, a kickout to an open shooter depends upon the entire defense collapsing into the paint, and you'd better hope your roll man can shoot from midrange, otherwise he's almost assuredly getting doubled in the paint and he can only dump it off to the other low post man who may or may not be in an ideal position to score. At this point, you're better off running a more ideal D'Antoni-esque pick and roll system.

Q: My team has Chris Paul, Steve Nash, Rajon Rondo, Deron Williams, [insert other high APG/PnR usage point guard], etc. Is the triangle right for my team?

A: The triangle is right for any team, if you ask me. But be ready to see that fancy 10-11 assists per game drop to the 5-6 APG level or below, because the triangle is an offense that does not feature one player running it. All five players facilitate to each other, and all five players must be on the same page in terms of spacing and reacting to how the defense plays them.

The question you have to ask is, does my team gain or lose by underutilizing my point guard's passing abilities? With a Derek Fisher or a Steve Kerr as your point guard, the answer is easy. If you have Chris Paul or Steve Nash on your team, things become a little bit less clear.

Q: What kind of roster would the triangle best utilize?

A: The triangle should be utilized with a team of unselfish players with high basketball IQ. That's the base mold, as there are sets that the triangle can incorporate to play to a team's strengths such as outside shooting or a playing inside. Versatile players is also a key necessity, as players are often found operating in different areas of the floor and are presented with opportunities to score from a myriad of locations.

As an aside, I personally would love to see what the Raptors would look like if they implemented the triangle.

Q: Where does Phil Jackson end up?

In an executive role with an NBA team. That's what he says he wants, and that, given his health, is the best option for him.

tl;dr: The triangle reacts to the defense, has counters for everything. Point guards beware... cause you ain't playing point guard anymore. I don't think Phil will return to a coaching position.

Coaches of /r/nba, do feel free to correct me on any points where I may have made a mistake. Thanks for reading!