System vs Flexibility: Who decides?

[Accidentally hit ”post” while drafting the thread title. Now I don’t know how to fix it.]

I have been thinking about this issue of system coaches versus tactically flexible coaches. In college basketball, Dean Smith was considered a prototypical “system coach.“ Bob Knight was considered a “tactically flexible“ coach. Both were very successful. However, both had the luxury of choosing their players, and working with them every day for years. For a system coach like Smith, that allowed him...

System vs Flexibility: Who decides?