Triangle for modern basketball

[simbayless]

They say the triangle is too old school for today's game but beg the differ
Because the Triangle is not just simply iso
It's space for your player to go one on one

What's even more deadly about the Triangle
The defender can't switch because of the spacing like I double dog dare you to try to double team Jordan or Kobe
And watch John Paxon or D-fish hits the open 3

If only James harden had a midrange game he would be unstoppable because you can switch on him shooting the 3 but you can't switch in the midrange era

[DamnYanks2]

AlexBrady is that you.

[ojandpizza]

I think the triangle or some adaptation of it could work fine you would just need a lot of tweaks.

The biggest issue with it working now is that pretty much any team in the league can switch most positions. And teams don't have to follow their man defensively because the removal of illegal defense. We talk about rule changes, player movement, spacing, etc.. And all that is true to a degree, but there is also benefits to being able to remove a big from the paint whenever you wanted, clear help whenever you wanted, come off a screen open whenever you wanted, and repeatedly get the ball in the spot you want, on the side of the floor you want, over and over and over. That doesn't happen a lot in today's game.

I think it's less about sending a double at Jordan/Kobe and more about already having a defender behind him in help, and switching the screen to not let them just run to a spot wide open or one-on-one in isolation in the first place. Rosters are built different now, but with no illegal defense there is no incentive for Rodman, Longley, or Wennington's defender to follow them high or to the corner. That's part of the reason it is just so hard to isolate one side of the floor and play in "spots" in today's game, you can effectively guard that spot before the offensive player even gets there. And even if a team could repeatedly get to this action not many teams want to isolate one side of the floor with a players back to the basket. Joker could likely average 40 doing this, but it would make he/his team substantially less effective because it takes away his ability to survey the floor and takes away the passes he makes to shooters and Gordon's back cuts, and ball-screens with Murray. There is so much more for a team to have to defend this way.

Most teams now will give up the mid-range look if it means chasing you off the 3 and keeping you from the rim. We see a lot of the really great scorers still utilize that weapon today. The issue with just saying "if only insert whoever shot more from the mid-range", they probably could but it's a less effective offense. Most players don't shoot much better from mid-range than they do the three, and league average 3pt% is currently 37%. That would mean for league average players would have to shoot 55% from mid-range to equal the same points per shot. Basically you'd have to be peak KD or MJ (realistically maybe even a tad better) for those shots to just equal the replacement level player taking a 3.. And that number becomes even higher if the three is a open three, in other words an elite scorer like KD is still better kicking to an open fringe-starter level player like Grayson Allen than he is taking the mid-range look.

I'm a firm believer in taking what the defense gives you and if they open up the middle of the floor you have to punish them. You can't make basketball a game of math and you still want your best players taking the most shots. But there is a reason teams don't actively seek out those shots as much anymore. As much as people hate the analytics, advanced stats, all the 3pt shooting, and many teams lacking as much unique identities, the majority of teams now are doubling down, tripling down on what is the most effective way to produce points. Sometimes that can look really ugly, bricked three after bricked three after bricked three, trying to force some free-throws, etc but looks vs effectiveness isn't a concern to anybody but fans/media.

Plenty of people point to rule changes and "no defense today" and I'm not saying that plays absolutely zero role in this scoring/space boom, but I'm watching games every night where almost every player on the floor can shoot, dribble, pass, and are comfortable with the ball 30ft from the rim. Sometimes the lack of defense isn't actually a lack of defense, it's that the ground the defender has to cover is twice as much as it used to be and average players are hitting threes with hands up on the shooter at the same rate as plenty of elite mid-range guys used to score at. Making many average players "more efficient" scorers than elite players in prior years. At some point every night I ask myself "what else can the defense even do there?" because the amount of scoring-skill is just astronomical right now. You can't leave anybody, can't help off anybody, can't fully commit all defenders 25+ feet out or you'll give up back-cuts and rim rolls, can't double the good bigs, every night teams almost have to just pick their poison or hope for off shooting nights.

I know the league is looking into ways to slow the scoring boom but I don't think there is an answer in place as far as going back on old rules. Teams have adapted too much into this play-style. They could let you challenge shooters more aggressively but they don't want the risk of landing on someone, they already allow defenders to slap shooters hands, and rim protectors to initiate however much contact they want so long as it's "vertical". I don't think a bit more hand-checking or off-ball grabbing pulling changes much (it already still happens now) and anything really egregious has always been a foul.. Many players "touching them up" now means being extended 30ft from the hoop, on an island, with space.. Realistically you're too close to the ball handler with that much space and any decent ball-handler (AKA most the league now) is going to blow by you. I think the best way they could make some change would actually be getting rid of the defensive 3 second rule. They already allow illegal defense and zone-like schemes just let the bigs camp in the middle if they want.

I realized that turned into more of a era rant, but this space rarely has any nuance. Young crowd says past players suck, older crowd says new players are only good because of rule changes. It's exhausting.