Basketball Positions

The basketball positions are generally organized as guards, forwards and the center. To be more specific, they are classified into the five positions.

The five positions are point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and center.

Each basketball position are call for different physical requirements and skills. They are also used to categorize the players in terms of which positions suite them to play.

Point Guard (控球后卫)

A guard is often the fastest and have excellent ball handling skills, leading the team in the offense and usually running the team during the game.

Many current NBA coaches are former point guards. Other names that point guards are called are the one, play maker or the ball-handler.

In order for a person to play in this position, he needs to have certain skill sets. Leadership and dribbling skills are two of the main skills a point guard must have.

Shortest and Fastest

They are often the shortest and fastest players and are often called upon to bring the ball up the court on offense while the rest of the players get into their positions.

They are often the leader on the floor, calling out plays, and controlling the tempo of the game. Some point guards also running up and down the court doing fast break attacks.

Excellent Dribbling Skills

Point guards are good passer and a very good dribbler. They are able to use both hands to dribble and they often set up the offense.

Point guards are usually the ones that handle the ball. They bring it up and down the court and call the plays. They are essentially the quarterback of basketball.

Two Distinct Point Guards

There are two distinctly different point guards: those who are score-first, pass-second and those who are pass-first and score-second.

Allen Iverson is the score-first point guard, while Steve Nash is the pass-first point guard. Examples of a point guard: Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, Chris Paul, Mike Bibby, Derek Fisher.

The Best Plays from Point Guards: 2017 NBA Season

(From YouTube, Channel Name: NBA)

How To Play Point Guard

Shooting Guard (得分后卫)

The shooting guard is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team.

Typically, they are taller than the point guards. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than the forwards.

The main objective of a shooting guard is to score points for his team. Some teams ask their shooting guards to play the role of a point guard by bringing up the ball. These players are known as combo guards.

Shooting guards should be good ball handlers and be able to pass reasonably well, though passing is not their main priority.

A player who can play from a shooting guard to small forward is known as a swingman.

Shooters from long distances

Most of the shooting guards normally shoot from long distances such as deep 2 point shot or 3-point line.

These players are often called the sharp shooter. Their average shooting percentage are usually higher than other positions and they will often look for their teammate to help them to screen to get an open shot.

The cutter and the slasher

These type of players are usually like to drive to the basket and score points in the game. They are also often play the small forward position role and known as swingman.

Players of this type are normally strong, athletic and taller than other shooting guards that shoot from long distances. They often shoot more 2 point shots than shooting from a 3-point line.

The Scorer

Shooting guard players who fall under this category are the ones that can hit 3-point line shots, have the ability to get inside the paint and drive to the basket to score points.

These type of players are hard to defeat as they can either shoot on the spot or do a fake move and drive into the basket to break the opponent's defense.

The Best Plays From Shooting Guards: 2017 NBA Season

(From YouTube, Channel Name: NBA)

Ray Allen and The Art of the Jump Shot

(From YouTube, Channel Name: NBA)

Small Forward (小前锋)

Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but some are just as tall.

This position is considered to be the most flexible than the other positions due to the nature of its role.

Their primary duty is to score points and also often to be rebounders as secondary duty to assist the power forward and center.

Many small forwards in professional basketball league are great scorers. Examples of great small forwards in the NBA are LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant.

An ability to get into the line

The common ability for small forwards is to get into the free throw line.

It means that, having opposing players called for committing shooting fouls against them when they take the ball hard and drive to the basket to attempt lay ups or slam dunk.

That is why most of the small forwards are also good at shooting at the free throw line.

Cornerman

A cornerman mean a player who can play both small forward and power forward positions in basketball.

Sometimes it is also called forward, meaning that the player can play any of the forward positions.

Usually, players in this category are those tall, strong enough to play against other power forwards and has the speed and agility to guard small forward.

Cornermen with great range are also called stretch forwards, often to the 3-point line.

Point Forward

A point forward is usually forward who possesses the ball handling skills and court vision to bring the ball up the court and to initiate the team's offense.

By letting the point forward having the ball to bring up the court will increase the offensive mobility, allowing the guards to move without the ball and create plays when receive the ball.

Point forwards also need to be skilled ball handlers and passers. They are particularly valuable option for teams with offensively skilled shooting guards or combo guards playing on the court.

The Best Plays from Small Forwards: 2017 NBA Season

(From YouTube, Channel Name: NBA)

Power Forward (大前锋)

Power forward is a position also been referred as the "Post" position. This position plays a similar role as the center position.

They typically play offensively with their backs towards the basket and post up themselves meaning positioning defensively under the basket in a zone defense or against the opposing power forward in man-to-man defense.

Traditionally, they do not shoot long range shots but play near at the painted area and by the basket for short range shots or layups.

The Rebounder

Most good power forwards are good at rebounding. Getting offensive and defensive rebounds are often rely more on the power forwards as the center will help to score and block the shots under the basket.

Usually power forwards are either same or a bit smaller size than the center and some of them are taller but not bulky tend to be a great shooter outside.

The Shooter

In the professional basketball, there are also many great power forward shooters just like the shooting guards who can shoot from the 3-point line.

Teams who have these great shooters tend to be strong in the offense. However, the small forward will have to help out more in getting the rebounds as the power forward is outside shooting long range shots.

The Smaller Size

Players don't need to have the height to become the power forward position. All you need is your rebounding skills, being able to assist the center under the basket and basically shoot the ball well.

An example of a great player in the NBA history Charles Barkley, who is only 1.98m tall, comparing to other power forwards, he is one of the smaller size.

The Best Plays From Power Forwards: 2017 NBA Season

(From YouTube, Channel Name: NBA)

Center (中锋)

The center, normally the tallest player on the team. Their primary role is to use their height and size to score and defend near to the basket. Generally, they are the one who take jump balls.

However, the centers are relatively slow in the movements in terms of their body mass and height.

They rarely dribble the ball just like the guards do and rarely take long range shots. Their focus are always near or under the basket for easy scoring as they use more on their body mass and also for getting the rebounds as well as guarding under the basket to prevent from opponent to drive into it.

Forward-Center

A basketball position for players who can play both power forward and center on a steady basis.

It means that since these two positions are usually for biggest players, they are tend to be more often overlap each other.

Typically, a forward–center is a talented forward who also came to play minutes at center on teams that needed help at that position.

Low Free Throw Percentage

Most centers are generally poor at the free throw line. That is because they don't often shoot at far range on the court. They are rather tentatively good at shoot bank shot off the glass near the basket.

Rare center like Yao Ming, he is a great free throw shooter and he is one of the kind that take more shots at further range areas.

Under The Basket

Due to its nature position, more percentage shots are made under the basket. Most of the centers will do hook shots or slam dunk to score.

To be a great center is not how good your dunk is, and is how well you pivot your movement to get yourself into the basket. Box-out technique plays an important part too.

The Best Plays From Centers: 2017 NBA Season

(From YouTube, Channel Name: NBA)