Triangle Overview

Triangle Overview

In the beginning, I talked about how the triangle half-court offense was originated by Sam Berry of the University of Southern California and further developed by former Kansas State head coach Tex Winter. Winter landed a job in the NBA and helped coach Phil Jackson win 11 NBA titles using the triangle offense.  The key objective to running the triangle offense is to make sure that every player knows their role within the offense. Every spot is to be filled at all times.  The wing player’s role is to always look first to feed the low post, look to score, or pass to the corner girl. The corner player looks to pass into the low post, or shoot or drive to the hoop. The low post player looks to score while being aggressive by posting or sealing defenders inside. The top player’s job is to look to pass to the post player, or look to shoot the 3 pointer.  

The triangle offense is designed to help players learn how to read and react to what the defense is doing. The most effective triangle is the sideline triangle on one side of the floor. The sideline triangle involves the post player on the block and two perimeter players, one located in the corner and one on the wing. The two-man game is created on the weak side, guard at the top, and opposite post player at the elbow-extended area. The great thing about the triangle offense is each new pass creates the next sequence within the offense. The main objective of the triangle offense is to overload one side of the floor to create a sequence of options to get the offense flowing.

Throughout the triangle offense, penetration is used to attack the frontline of the defense. Spacing will make it hard for the defense to help, trap, or recover. It is very important that players maintain 15 to 20 feet from player to player. The ball and the player move with a purpose, and good ball and player movement helps keep the defense occupied and off balance. The point guard should be able to pass it to any of his/her four teammates. Offensive rebounding and defensive balance will help get back and prevent the opponent’s scoring opportunities. In the triangle offense every player is allowed to fill any of the spots on the floor, because all spots are interchangeable.

In conclusion, if coaches and players remember the rules of the triangle offense, they will be unstoppable in their half-court offense. It’s important that players learn how to read the defense and react on offense to create a shot for his/her teammates or themselves. I hope you gained a lot of knowledge on the triangle offense from reading my blogs on how to be successful at running the triangle offense.

References:

1Winter, T. (2007). The triangle offense. Retrieved from: http://www.fip.it/public/41/3533/Tex%20Winter%20-%20Attacco%20Triangolo%20-%20prima%20parte.pdf

2Araton, H. (2014). Triangle offense has its defenders and skeptics. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/18/sports/basketball/triangle-offense-has-its-defenders-and-skeptics.html?_r=0