Isla’s Love Triangle Complications In Running Point Season 2 Explained

For Isla, a burgeoning basketball empire and a complicated family dynamic aren’t the only things she has to balance.

Season 1 of Running Point teased a major love triangle for the Netflix series’ lead, with Isla, played by Kate Hudson, stuck in an emotional push-and-pull between her fiancé Lev [Max Greenberg] and now-former LA Waves coach Jay [Jay Ellis.] What makes the dynamic interesting, however, is the fact that Isla isn’t stuck trying to choose between them, but rather is left weighing out the importance of what she needs versus what she wants.

With Lev calling off their engagement in season 1’s penultimate episode, things are left at a crossroads, with Isla choosing to focus on her personal and professional growth with the LA Waves, and defining herself outside of either relationship, as opposed to making a hard and fast choice between Lev and Jay.

Moving into season 2, however, that dynamic gets a little messier, with both men representing different sides of Isla’s personality. ScreenRant‘s Tatiana Hullender spoke to Running Point creator, David Stassen, ahead of the show’s second season, where he said that while it’s a tough choice for Isla, her ultimate first love is and always will be basketball.

Isla’s Connection To Both Lev & Jay Forces Her To Look Inward

Courtesy of Netflix

With Isla’s relationships with both Lev and Jay rooted in different parts of her identity, it makes it hard for her to choose between either, as she connects with both of them on different levels. Jay is embedded in that fast-paced world of sports she knows so well, with the pair able to bond over their shared love of basketball, and Lev representing a grounded, simpler life that’s nearly at her fingertips. While they can’t connect as well on sports, he knows her on a deeper, more intimate level, creating a complication that is hard to run away from as this love triangle gets all the more messy in season 2.

David Stassen: I think that in our minds, it feels like Isla’s first love is basketball. So there’s a connection with Jay, the coach that’s always been undeniable, and always been there, and they have a relationship built on friendship. And then it’s something that Lev can’t compete with on a couple of levels right there. But Max Greenfield is just the best guy. And he and Kate just had an immediate rapport. And it speaks to his performance that you kind of end up rooting for him, but it also speaks to Jay Ellis that you want to see her with both. And yes, it’s really fun, but also we’re always talking about, “Oh God, this is tough. This is tough. We like them all.”

A New Coach Paves The Way For Isla’s Relationship With Jay

While Isla isn’t set on choosing Jay over Lev just yet, losing him as The Waves’ head coach takes the HR issue out of the equation and allows her to explore a bond with him that isn’t solely tied to work. It also creates an extra layer of tension, with Jay’s move to coach the Seattle team — a direct competitor for The Waves — raising the professional and personal stakes between the pair.

But, having Norm Stinson, played by Ray Romano, step in as the team’s new coach also brings a shift in energy to the office, with the slightly eccentric veteran shaking things up both off and on the court.

David Stassen: He’s definitely a different addition to the organization… he’s got sharp edges, but a father figure sort of added back into the mix. But really, he’s got a brilliant basketball mind. He’s just not as slick as Jay. And that was sort of the downfall of his career; he moved around, he got head coaching jobs, but he wasn’t great at presenting himself. He wasn’t Pat Riley with the slick back hair looking cool in the suits in the 80s. So he’s got the brains for the business, but doesn’t always pull off the looks. And so, Isla sees in him the genius basketball mind, which always is going to be something that she’s drawn to. And that’s why she hires him.

Check out more of our Running Point coverage here:

Running Point season 2 is streaming now on Netflix.