Home » LeBron James Reflects On Why Teams No Longer Run The Triangle Offense

LeBron James Reflects On Why Teams No Longer Run The Triangle Offense

by David Guillermo
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Few offensive schemes have left a mark like the Triangle Offense. Invented by Tex Winter and championed by Phil Jackson, it was a system that shaped how players like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant saw the floor and helped guide their respective teams to multiple championships.

But for all its history, the Triangle Offense is no longer a staple in today’s NBA. The game has gravitated to spread pick-and-rolls, quicker actions, and more three-point shooting. The Triangle makes you slow down, lean on midrange shots, and have five guys read every play. Even LeBron James, as smart as he is, understands why it’s fallen out of favor.

LeBron has played 22 seasons in the NBA and has seen every kind of system imaginable. While he believes some parts of the Triangle are still useful in today’s game, he knows the league has changed too much for teams to run the full system.

“The game is so much different. To try to run the Triangle Offense right now, it’d be very challenging just because how the game is played, and also how the defense is covering. You could take a lot of things away. You know, now just by, like, switching a lot of things—depending on your personnel. Obviously, that has a lot to do with it. But I think it was great in its time.”

“You can use certain things from it. We run 21… that’s basically the extended version of the Triangle, taking components off it. MJ used to be on the baseline and kind of used the Chicago screen off Luc Longley or one of the centers to catch in the middle of the lane. There’s certain things that have been taken. If you watch our game, there’s small bits and pieces that’s been taken from the Triangle Offense that teams and players run.”

 

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