Los Angeles Lakers: Reported Return to Triangle Will Cure Anemic Offense

Jekyll and Hyde. 

That's the best way to sum up the Lakers season thus far.

Dominance at home, lackadaisical on the road. 

More importantly, stifling on defense, confused on offense.

For one, the Lakers have considerably improved on defense this year. They're No. 1 in the league in rebounding and among the top teams in team defense, something that has plagued them in recent years.

On the other hand, they're a mess offensively. They're last in three-point shooting and Kobe Bryant is shooting the ball excessively. He's only made 39 percent of his field goals on the road this season.

Offense has always been a part of the game the Lakers have excelled in, especially under Phil Jackson's Triangle offense. 

There is no doubt that Mike Brown is a fantastic defensive-minded head coach. The Lakers defense this season has improved tremendously this season, and it's undeniably a product of Brown's system.

However, it seems like Brown hasn't mastered the offensive side of the ball. He's trying to get rid of the Triangle offense but there are rumblings that several Lakers players have met in private to bring back elements of the famous offense back into the system.

And why not?

In a recent interview with ESPN Los Angeles, Brown stated that he would vote for Kobe for MVP and that he told him to "go get it. I'll take care of the defense and we'll go from there." 

To paraphrase, Brown wants to just focus on the defense and let Kobe take care of the offense. This explains why Kobe has become less of a facilitator and more of an attacker this season. He leads the league in scoring and that's nice, but he's taking way too many shots, and it's not going unnoticed.

Pau Gasol questioned the selflessness of the Lakers in a radio interview recently. When Kobe misses more shots in a game then Pau and Andrew Bynum attempt shots, there's a problem.

The Lakers need to play more as a team and it starts from Kobe. It's fine if Mike Brown lets the team run the offense and call their own plays, but they need to work as a team.

Going back to the Triangle is a great way to do this. The team already knows how to run that offense and they were comfortable doing so in the past few years. By bringing elements of that system back, there is no question the Lakers offense will come out of its slump.

Anyone who's watched the Lakers this year can see that miscommunication has been no stranger to the team's offense. Players aren't aware of their teammates' whereabouts on the floor. This is exemplified by fundamental mistakes that lead to turnovers. 

On the current road trip there was one instance where Andrew Bynum thought he was giving a pass to Pau, but he had already moved to the other side of the floor so the ball went out of bounds. It's these kind of plays that drive fans nuts. 

The chemistry just isn't there. Players hold onto the ball for too long because it seems like they don't have any developed plays and they're settling for improvisation.

Stu Lantz mentioned in the last game's telecast that if the NBA kept track of how many seconds teams took up before taking a shot, the Lakers would lead the category.

Taking shots deep into the clock means that the Lakers aren't getting good looks and it oftentimes results in ill-fated three pointers. This explains why the team is last in the league in threes.

Also, in road losses, the Lakers are shooting just 24 percent from beyond the arc, compared to 35 percent in road wins. 

The Lakers have Bryant, Bynum, and Gasol and they're an average offensive team at best. They're better than that. 

Returning to the Triangle could awaken a dormant explosive offense and revive the team. The team could use an upgrade at point guard, but it's not going to matter if they don't have an organized offensive system.

Kobe shouldn't be carrying this team on his shoulders and neither should the three-ball. 

The threesome of Kobe, Pau and Bynum need to come together like they did during the Jackson era.

If Brown is letting them run the offense, then why change what worked back in those days?

Follow Andre Khatchaturian on Twitter.