Phil Jackson Reportedly Unhappy About Knicks' Limited Use of Triangle Offense

The New York Knicks have strayed from the triangle offense in 2016-17 under head coach Jeff Hornacek, which is a decision that reportedly hasn't sat well with team president Phil Jackson. 

According to ESPN.com's Ian Begley, sources indicated Jackson wants more triangle integrated into the Knicks' offensive sets after the system was hardly used in a win over the Chicago Bulls last Friday.

The Knicks are 2-4, and they rank 13th in the NBA in offensive efficiency at 104, per ESPN's Hollinger stats.

Per Marc Berman of the New York Post, Jackson recently sat in on Knicks practice and helped teach some triangle principles, particularly to shooting guard Courtney Lee.

According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, Hornacek said after that practice the players are becoming more comfortable with the triangle:

"

We're getting there. Yeah, we're getting there. Sometimes guys say 'I'm just going to let my talent take over and do it.' But we had a few more calls so they knew exactly the option to run. We want to get away from (calling out the plays) as soon as we can but we feel maybe at this point, it's good to give them some calls occasionally so that they know and they see it over and over.

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One of the issues with running the triangle has been point guard Derrick Rose's unfamiliarity with the system.

Following New York's season-opening loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Rose admitted adjusting to the offense was a struggle, per Steve Popper of USA Today:

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This is the first game, but we have a lot of room to improve. Just the offense. with me, of course, I want pick-and-roll every time down. But with the triangle, with the auto, towards the end, when you saw us running it, it was just us trying to get used to it so it's not that foreign. We got a lot of room to make up on that side of the ball, too.

In the triangle sometimes, our auto sometimes, you get both sides. You're going to the corner and as the point guard, that's tough sometimes, going all the way to the corner and kind of waiting to see what they're going to do on the initial side of the triangle. You have to wait for the ball to come back to you. I've got to find a way. There's no way around it. I got to find a way, and I'm going to find a way. That's what being great is all about.

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The Knicks are allowing 109.8 points per game, which ranks 27th in the league, so their defense looks like an even bigger issue on paper.

While the triangle offense helped Jackson win 11 NBA titles as a head coach with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, the league has gone away from that style and is now focused on individual play and isolation. With alpha dogs such as Rose, Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis on the team, it is fair to wonder if the triangle is the best fit for the Knicks.

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