Lakers: What NBA2k11 Taught Me About the Triangle and the Los Angeles Lakers

I’ll let you in on a little secret. 

I am on the Los Angeles Lakers (on NBA2k11).

I was drafted by the Washington Wizards in the second round (on NBA 2k11) behind Rookie Challenge MVP John Wall, and after jumping around the league for a few years, I found myself on my hometown team, the Los Angeles Lakers (on NBA2k11).

NBA2k11 My Player mode allows the player to run plays that are supposedly from their team’s offensive playbook.  From what I’ve read about it, the Triangle is a reactive offense, and thus I’ve the taken the accuracy of any “plays” with a grain of salt, but here’s a few things I’ve learned about Tex Winter’s masterpiece and our beloved Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers Are a Deep Team

Controlling my player up the court, I find myself surrounded by an arsenal any starting forward would dream to step on the court with.  At the apex of the Triangle is The Spaniard or Bynum; at the base corners you find Derek “Derekt Us” Fisher and myself. 

On the weakside you’ll see the big man who isn’t on the strong side and an old man some of you may know as Kobe Bryant.  When I come up the floor and get the ball from D-Fish, I pass the ball into Gasol. 

As I cut around him he has the option of passing it back on a give-and-go, facing up and hitting nothing but net, or passing it in the corner to Fisher for the three.  Don’t forget the weakside movement from Bynum and Bryant.

It’s one thing to watch the Lakers and say they are deep. 

It is another to “play” with them.

The Triangle Promotes Isolations, Kickouts and Cuts

Most of the plays I am forced to run promote an isolation for either Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol or Andrew Bynum.  If the team goes man to man, they post up, drive by or face up for the score.  If they get double-teamed, one of the role players gets the kickout or cuts by for the easy basket.

This is different than when I was on the Washington Wizards.  In that offense, I came off of a lot of screens, came off a lot of screens and came off a lot of screens.

So what does this mean?

The Lakers Play Less “Team Ball” Than Others, But That's Not Necessarily Bad

The Lakers are so deep and thus the isolations generated from the Triangle essentially makes use of each player’s skills to their fullest potential.  What this also means is that ball movement is not generated from set plays that create mismatches off picks, but simply from a reaction to a double-team from the opposing defense.

Playing "team ball" would not maximize each balanced players full arsenal of skills, and thus the Triangle fits the Lakers perfectly.

In Conclusion

Take it from a man who runs with the Champs—there’s going to be another riot in LA come June next year.