Kings coach Reggie Theus is implementing the vaunted triangle offense.
The ambitious plan was first introduced in summer league in July. Theus passed word to his assistants to begin coaching the players on the ins and outs of the system, one made famous by coach Phil Jackson with his Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers teams and is as difficult to master as it can be to defend.
The goal is to eliminate stagnant feel on the floor and rely more on creative freedom and athleticism, and the change in personnel should aid the cause. Although Ron Artest's talents were indisputable, so, too, was the reality that the forward, who was traded to Houston in August, was notorious for breaking set plays and relying too much on isolation play.
"(It's) running more with continuity more so than calling plays," Theus said of the triangle. "I just think that allowing these guys to be as athletic as they are, to learn to play together and to grow as a team, you have to give them the freedom to do that.
"The triangle … (and) all of the intricacies of that offense are very difficult to learn because there are 100 reads. It's about reads, and it's going to take some time to get good at. Those who run that type of system will tell you that once you get it, they just play. And that's what I'm trying to get, is to give them a chance to just play."
Theus said his system last season had elements of the triangle, but this will be a significant step.
"Last year is the beginning parts of the triangle," he said. "We just elevated it to the next three or four levels."