“Take a look at this tactical diagram.” This diagram was just drawn by Eric Turner before Mark Allen came in, and it matches the starting lineup—this is the tactical diagram.

“This is...? The... triangle offense?” Mark Allen once again opened his mouth in surprise.

The terms “triangle offense” and “point forward” have been very popular in recent years, often appearing together. Not every point forward system uses the triangle offense, but the pinnacle of the point forward is the triangle offense. Since Grant Hill hasn’t yet reached his peak, the best point forward in the league right now is still Scottie Pippen, who is the initiator of the Bulls’ triangle offense. After former Kansas head coach Old Winter joined the Chicago Bulls as Phil Jackson’s assistant coach in 1989, Old Winter, the creator of the triangle offense, combined Pippen and Jordan to push the reputation of the triangle offense to its highest point. This indirectly made the triangle offense synonymous for a time with Phil Jackson, the Chicago Bulls, Scottie Pippen, and the point forward. No one would have thought that the triangle offense was first implemented in the NCAA. The triangle offense places high demands on players; although many teams want to try it, not all have the right conditions.

“Turner, I have to admit your idea is very attractive and bold, but, Turner, do you really have that much confidence in our players?” After a brief daze, Mark Allen came back to his senses and smiled wryly.

In recent years, with the Bulls’ first three-peat dynasty, basically every coach has studied the Bulls’ triangle offense, just like after the Rockets completed back-to-back championships this season, everyone started studying the “one center, four shooters” strategy. Mark Allen is not unfamiliar with the triangle offense’s patterns and requirements—in fact, almost every American basketball coach is familiar with it.

The triangle offense, like many other offensive strategies, evolved from the most basic pick-and-cut tactics. But the triangle offense is different from other pick-and-rolls; it requires players to have a very clear understanding of their positions on the court, to form a basic “offensive triangle” spatial setup. Each player also needs to have the ability to share and move the ball, and everyone must keep moving to stretch the space, preventing the defense from double-teaming and creating more one-on-one and open shot opportunities for the offense. Besides needing players with strong isolation and individual skills, this strategy also demands a very high level of tactical awareness from all players. What Mark Allen is worried about is the tactical awareness of the team’s players.

He’s not worried about Duncan. Duncan has already played two years in the NCAA, and Stephen Green is also a veteran. Although they’re not very familiar with the triangle offense, their passing, cutting, screening, and setting picks—these five basic tactical skills—are much better than those of Carter and the other rookies. Especially Duncan, Mark Allen has no doubt about his ability to adapt to the triangle offense. But when it comes to the other core of the triangle, Vince Carter, he has reservations. No matter how talented Carter is, he’s still just a college freshman and probably hasn’t experienced any complex tactical systems in high school. It’s uncertain whether he can even succeed as a point forward, let alone master the even more complex triangle offense. Now he’s being made the initiator and core of such a complicated system—isn’t that asking too much?

“You’re worried about the tactical ability of rookies like Carter, right?” Eric Turner said helplessly. There really are too many new players on the team.

“That’s right. Carter and Posey are very talented. I think with those two plus Duncan, our team’s strength won’t be any worse than last season. We could do exactly what Coach Parker did last season—let Duncan and Carter, even Posey, handle the ball and go one-on-one more often. Although that strategy seems simple, I think it’s the most effective. With the isolation skills of Carter and Duncan, we can make the Sweet 16 again, maybe even go further. We really don’t need to take the risk of implementing the triangle offense. Right now, very few college teams use the triangle, and in the NBA, only the Bulls do. The requirements for the triangle offense are just too demanding.” Mark Allen’s thinking is perfectly reasonable—this is the choice any coach would make.

“Mark, you’re right. With players like Duncan and Carter, we can definitely be a powerhouse in the NCAA. But as you said, our lineup has flaws—we lack an excellent point guard, and that will really affect our offense. Maybe we’ll still be a strong team, but winning the championship won’t be easy.”

“This...?” Mark Allen hesitated as well. Eric Turner was right—the team lacks a top point guard. Who’s going to integrate Duncan and Carter, these two stars?

“If our team had Matthew Bailey—no, even if we didn’t have Matthew Bailey, if we just had a Terry, I wouldn’t bother going to all this trouble to develop Carter’s playmaking ability. I’d just take Matthew Bailey, Carter, Duncan, or Terry, Carter, Duncan, and steamroll the other teams.” Eric Turner exaggeratedly pounded the table and laughed.