JR Smith has to be thrilled to get away from the New York Knicks with the way they have been playing this season — no matter how much pressure comes along with playing alongside LeBron James. Smith, like many of his former teammates, clearly was not a great fit with Phil Jackson’s triangle offense.
Considering the Knicks have lost 14 straight games and 24 of their last 25, it’s safe to say Jackson’s offense is failing miserably. Earlier this week, Smith shed some light on that.
“It’s almost too much thinking,” he told the New York Post when asked about the triangle offense. “Everybody in the building was pretty much walking on eggshells so it was kind of hard to prosper in that way, especially when you are not accustomed to it. But eventually I’m sure they’ll get it right.”
Remember, Smith is the same guy who gave this classic response earlier this week when asked about learning the Cleveland Cavaliers’ playbook, so you know he isn’t big into thinking on offense. Despite that, he believes Jackson’s system will eventually work.
“I think it will work, but the thing about it is that you also have to have the personnel to run that,” Smith said. “You’ve got to have those two legit bigs, you have to have a wing scorer and you have to have a point guard who distributes and who can also score. Once they get the core right, it’s got a chance, but they have to get the players.”
Jackson’s triangle offense has been a major part of 11 NBA championships, so we know it can work. Personnel is obviously an issue for the Knicks right now, and you have to wonder how quickly they can turn things around. Going from arguably the worst team in the NBA to a playoff contender in one, two or even three seasons is no easy task.
