One Play per week: The Triangle Offense
Every week we will be diving into Basketball Plays that helped NBA teams compete succesfully. The play we selected today is one of the most dominant plays in the history of the sport. As a result of its implementation, Chicago Bulls won 6 championships (1991-1993, 1996-1998) and Los Angeles Lakers won 5 (2000-2002, 2009-2010). This is the Triangle Offense.
The Triangle Offense philosophy was, first, developed by Hall of Fame coach Sam Barry who coached at the University of Iowa and the University of Southern California between 1922 and 1950. Sam Barry's player, who would later become coach himself, Tex Winter is praised for popularizing the play in the NBA. Winter served as an Assistant Coach on the Chicago Bulls between 1985-1999 winning 6 championships. Subsequently, he joined Los Angeles Lakers from 1999 until 2008, winning 3 more championships. The Head Coach Phil Jackson made the play legendary winning 11 total championships with the Bulls and Lakers.
Instead of relying mostly in pick 'n' rolls, the main idea of the Triangle Offense is that it creates proper spacing, it has continuous ball and player movement, which eventually leads to multiple scoring options. It's basically a system of principles, rather than a memorized play. Every player reads the defense, instead of running a fixed play.
The philosophy of the Triangle Offense is to form a triangle between three players with the big-man, usually the Center, standing in the low-post, one player standing in the corner and one player standing in the wing. The two remaining players are standing on the weak side, usually around the opposite wing and corner, so that they create space on the floor.
As the ball moves around, so does the triangle. Since it all depends on how the team is being defended, every player should be able to read and react accordingly. It effectively creates post touches and split cuts without calling set plays. According to www.breakthroughbasketball.com, "On the weakside, the wing rotates up for reversal and the other post player positions himself for an offensive opportunity whether it be a shot drive or screen opportunity. It the ball is reversed, a cutter is sent to the ball side corner, and the post follows to the low post recreating the triangle formation on the ball side."
The principal goal of the Triangle Offense is to directly pass to the post, either from the wing or the corner. The focus shifts to getting the ball into the post and playing off of it if the player is playing from behind. The read is to toss the ball to the top and either go inside a seal or reverse the ball if the post is fronted. In case the ball is reversed, there is a number of two-man play options available, for example a handoff drive, a handoff jumpshot, a handoff and roll, pass and go Drive, screen and roll, slip screen, or screen and pop.
In the first option, being the feed the post, if the defender plays behind, the post player can score, kick to the corner, pass to the cutter, or reverse the ball.
In the second option, if the defense doesn't help, wing players attacks 1-on-1. Two of the best players of all-time thrived by using this system, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
In option 3, if help comes from the corner, the player with the ball kicks to the corner which is undefended.
If the high-post player catches the ball in option 4, there's a variety of plays that can happen, such as a hand-off, a backdoor pass, a shot, a pass to the post, or ball reversal.
The weak-side cut is the fifth option. While the triangle is operating, there's constant movement in the weak-side. Some typical actions of this movement are basket cuts, screens, backdoor cuts, flash to the high-post. The continuous weak-side movement prevents defenders from helping.
Unlike modern offenses where one player dominates the ball, the Triangles Offense encourages everyone to move. The key principle is to maintain the spacing throughout the whole offense. So, whenever someone cuts, another player fits the empty spot.
It became exceptionally effective offensive system because it keeps defenders occupied, it creates easy post touches, it creates open mid-range chances, it produces corner threes, it punishes double-teams and doesn't depend on one player.
Some of the Triangle Offense disadvantages include that it is hard to learn, it requires smart decision-makers, it is less effective if players don't shoot or pass well and lastly modern-day switching defenses can disrupt the action.
We rarely see the Triangle Offense action nowadays in the NBA. Modern offenses emphasize more in high pick 'n' rolls, four- or five-out spacing. Also, the teams rely much more on three-point shooting, faster pacing.
If you are interested, in basketball strategy, studying the Triangle Offense is still valuable because it teaches spacing, timing, off-ball movement and reading defenses - skills that apply to almost every modern offensive system.
Sports Science: Lakers Triangle Offense:
Dennis Rodman breaks down the Chicago Bulls' Triangle Offense | Detail on ESPN+:
Phil Jackson analyzes MJ highlights and the Bulls' triangle offense | ESPN+:
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