Basketball Ed - Positions

[CastleRubric]

hopefully others here can chime in and help me understand some nuances of the sport more clearly


Traditionally - the five positions on a basketball team had certain roles - more or less

Those traditional roles changed over time I know BUT i would like to hear your thoughts on what an ideal PG, SG (etc) - are supposed to do

I realize it can change with different offensive sets - but offensive sets will be another post where I try to get smarter

Please help me better understand the five positions in basketball and what they're ideally suited to accomplish!

 

[Seth_C]

1. Point guard - excellent ball handling skills, ideally agile/quick in general, excellent passer, good at penetration to collapse the defense, able to knock down open shots from anywhere

2. Shooting guard - good ball handling skills, good passer, excellent shooter with the ability to create their own shots or shoot coming off a screen

3. Small forward - this position has become much more like a shooting guard over time, and less like a forward, but should be a good shooter with the strength to play defense against other small forwards and the strength to take hits and finish in the lane on offense

4. Power forward (traditional) - athletic enough to help defend the 3-5 positions, strong, large body, good rebounder and shot blocker, capable of making shots anywhere around the paint

4. Power forward (stretch) - more athletics than above, definitely able to defend 3-5, good shooter capable of making open shots from anywhere on the court, good passer out of the paint

5. Center - Imposing defensive presence in the paint, excels at setting screens, rebounding the basketball, blocking shots, and finishing through contact

 

[AJG-15]

This depends on how much back on history line you want go ….if you look how the first basketball looked like , was almost impossible to do all the dribbling that is happening now, the ball was mostly passed in order to be moved towards the basket.


Also, back in the day the bigs were able to pass and shoot the ball.

The bigs were called pivots because of their role as a pivot and a lot the action was run through them. Our own Rupp, had many actions through the pivot.

That involved also posting with the back to the basket. Because of rules changing , 3 seconds rule, basket interference, 3 point line, equipment change , the game evolved.

It’s interesting that now under so call international influence , the game is going back to using the bigs as offense generator . This because European basketball , due to lack of athleticism sticked with the more traditional approach to basketball, where everyone can shoot, pass, post and to some extent dribble the ball regardless if they are a guard or forward.

 

[CastleRubric]

So the earliest basketball i remember are Joe Halls teams in the early 80s

Obviously the big man positions have changed a lot

Seems like both Louisville & UNLV brought in early versions of position-less basketball with athletes at every position

But the SF and PF seem like they can be almost ANYTHING to me - confusing

 

[ftp000]

Don't say "ed" here. There's a lot of old men here. Regardless of position.

 

[Deli owl]

This can’t be a real post

 

[the nail at the foul line]

I prefer my guards as 1.5's and 2.5's. And three of them.

Delk, Sheppard, Bledsoe, Murray, DA, Herro

 

[the nail at the foul line]

Don't say "ed" here. There's a lot of old men here. Regardless of position.

 

[ukfan1622]

I think what a lot of people don't get is that basketball is a relatively new game, invented only 134 years ago and initially using soccer balls and peach baskets. When you watch a game of modern basketball nearly everything you see from dribbling to jump shots to individual moves was first done by somebody in one of the last 8 or 9 decades with each decade bring new techniques and tactics and each generation grows up with what prior generations had to invent...so there really isn't any traditional anything, just a constantly evolving game.

 

[FirewithFire]

Try this:

The Company Commander.

The PG is the literal floor general that directs everyone else on offense and defense. Ideally they have a high basketball IQ, great handles, and a defensive tenacity. They can shoot from deep and can penetrate the paint in order to collapse the defense before they kick it out to....

The Sniper

SG are supposed to be the knock down shooters. They come in many varieties, some who prefer the long shot, and some who prefer the up close action: slasher / shooter. They should be able to rebound and defend as well.

Special Forces

The SF is like a multitool. They might be a shooter, or slasher, or both. The ideal SF can shoot, rebound, defend, and can play either the 2 or 4. Scotty Pippen was one of the first point forwards.

The Assault Rifleman

The PF is the guy you call to do the dirty work. They should be tall, athletic, and not afraid of contact. They could be a marine rifleman (stretch 4) who shoots the long shot and can still play down low if needed, or they could be army who gets down low and grinds it out, rebounding and defending.

The Heavy

The big C should be just that; Big, strong, and physical. They protect the rim and can be a scoring option if they have good footwork. Or they could be Shaq and just dominate everyone else though sheer power. I guess Amari could be the first point center.

 

[CastleRubric]

Its real

I also don't understand any of the (offensive ) sets or plays really

It generally looks like chaos to me


Although screens and back door cuts are obvious - and pretty when they occur

Is there value in NOT recruiting traditional big men at all and purposefully going small ball 6'7" and under? Just running and gunning?

Thanks yall👋🙂

 

[Fox2monk]

1. Point guard - excellent ball handling skills, ideally agile/quick in general, excellent passer, good at penetration to collapse the defense, able to knock down open shots from anywhere

2. Shooting guard - good ball handling skills, good passer, excellent shooter with the ability to create their own shots or shoot coming off a screen

3. Small forward - this position has become much more like a shooting guard over time, and less like a forward, but should be a good shooter with the strength to play defense against other small forwards and the strength to take hits and finish in the lane on offense

4. Power forward (traditional) - athletic enough to help defend the 3-5 positions, strong, large body, good rebounder and shot blocker, capable of making shots anywhere around the paint

4. Power forward (stretch) - more athletics than above, definitely able to defend 3-5, good shooter capable of making open shots from anywhere on the court, good passer out of the paint

5. Center - Imposing defensive presence in the paint, excels at setting screens, rebounding the basketball, blocking shots, and finishing through contact

I would add in the modern game Power Forwards must be good ball handlers and outside shooters now as well.

 

[UKBB4Ever]

It's funny that Rupp was one of the first, if not the first, to have bigs on the block on both ends. They used to just move across half court the same way they set up on offense. The bigs played across the top on defense. The one handed jump shot didn't become thing until the late 30's and not the norm until the 40's.