Following the New York Knicks’ 118-99 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night, Courtney Lee offered some thoughts about the way his team practices.
Per Ian Begley of ESPN.com:
Courtney Lee says the Knicks should “practice against more game-like situations” rather than practicing against the triangle offense. “We run the triangle, we practice against it a lot. I think we need to practice against pick and rolls, practice against other looks and whatnot and get comfortable with that because that’s what other teams are running.”
This is a pretty good point. No other team in the league is running the triangle full bore. You see some of it with the San Antonio Spurs, and more of it with the Golden State Warriors, now that head coach Steve Kerr is their primary offensive architect following the departures of assistants Alvin Gentry and Luke Walton. But there isn’t another offense in the NBA who uses it as the foundation for everything they do.
For that matter, the Knicks are supposed to be one of those teams. The triangle wasn’t supposed to be the basis for everything they do this year. It was supposed to be an arrow in the quiver. Lee’s thoughts, along with team president Phil Jackson’s presence on the practice floor, make you wonder if the Knicks are once again focusing too much on the triangle.
Indeed, their offense is faster. But it’s not more efficient. Nor do the Knicks run a noticeable number of pick-and-roll sets. If anything, their offense looks like a faster version of the triangle with some additional isolations sprinkled in.
So yeah, perhaps the Knicks should start at least start preparing for different offenses, even if they’re not going to play a different brand themselves. There is, after all, a game of basketball outside the triangle.
