National Basketball Association

New York Knicks: Phil Jackson Addresses Rumors

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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New York Knicks team president Phil Jackson is reportedly upset with the scarcity of the triangle offense. He addressed those rumors head-on.

The New York Knicks hired team president Phil Jackson to change the culture and revitalize the organization. In his third season at the helm, Jackson’s Knicks have been anything but revitalized as they continue to pursue an elusive postseason appearance.

After Ian Begley of ESPN New York reported that Jackson is upset with the Knicks’ lack of triangle offense possessions, The Zen Master took it upon himself to address the rumors.

The Knicks are currently 3-6 with three blowout losses and three defeats that were decided in the fourth quarter. New York ranks No. 19 in points per 100 possessions and No. 30 in points allowed per 100 possessions.

According to Jackie MacMullen of ESPN’s TrueHoop, Jackson addressed the rumors of his reported frustration with the Knicks’ underutilization of the triangle offense.

No. But when they run it I want them to run it the right way. If you are going to do it, use your skills and run it the right way. I’m not frustrated at all. Derrick Rose missed three weeks of training camp (because of a civil trial). It’s totally understandable where we are as a ballclub. We have guards that do a lot of stuff off the dribble. I want them to understand they can do things off the pass. It has to be a combination.

In other words: Jackson wants the Knicks to be able to consistently create offense without going into isolation.

The triangle offense may or may not be the answer, but Jackson is fair with his evaluation. 11.1 percent of the Knicks’ possessions have ended in isolation, which is the third-highest percentage of any team in the NBA.

For perspective on Jackson’s criticism: New York is shooting 40.6 percent from the field in isolation sets, which ranks No. 19 in the NBA.

Yes: the Knicks go ISO at the third-highest rate in the NBA and convert with the 19th-best efficiency.

The triangle offense may not be the answer, but the Knicks need to avoid over-dribbling. New York ranks in the Top 15 in eFG% when shooting without a dribble, yet it consistently allows the ball to stick.

For perspective, the Knicks are 3-0 when they register at least 20 assists and 0-6 when they fail to.

The offensive fix appears to be quite obvious: keep the ball moving.