Shooting guard

The Shooting guard (SG), also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for their team. Some teams ask their shooting guards to bring up the ball as well; these players are known colloquially as "combo guards". A player who can switch between playing shooting guard and small forward is known as a swingman.

Shooting guard characteristics

Shooting guards, like all player positions in basketball, have specific characteristics that are essential for them to help guide their team to a victory. "The Basketball Handbook" by Lee Rose describes a shooting guard as someone whose primary role is to score points. One example of a shooting guard is Ray Allen of the Seattle Supersonics. Typically, shooting guards are bigger than point guards, but size does not preclude smaller players from playing the position. One such notable player is Gilbert Arenas, a shooting guard who plays for the Washington Wizards. While shooting guards are sometimes the best jump-shooters on the floor (hence the "shooting" part of the position name), most can also drive to the basket well. Good examples are Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers who use their superior athletic abilities to finish high flying dunks and whirling layups.

Other characteristics a shooting guard should have are: A good catch-and-shoot skill set, (being able to line up at a designated spot, catch the basketball and make a shot without dribbling). Shooting guards also typically show an ability to penetrate into the basketball lane, and finish at the rim, by either a dunk or layup via Vince Carter and Kobe Bryant type players.

Styles of play

Shooting guards can be known for excelling at certain skills, such as having a great shooting touch like Ray Allen and Allan Houston, or being able to dunk in an athletic high flying manner such as Michael Jordan or being able to throw it down with reasonable strength such as Jason Richardson. Many shooting guards also possess a natural ability to take contact (being fouled) and finish the play resulting in the "old fashioned three point play" of perhaps better known as an "and one".On the other side of the ball, some shooting guards, including notables such as Morris Peterson and Raja Bell, are known for their defense. Others, like Michael Jordan, Dwyane Wade, Tracy McGrady, Gilbert Areans and Kobe Bryant, are good on almost all the skills needed by a Shooting Guard.

A shooting guard should be a good ball handler and be able to pass reasonably well, although passing is not their main priority. Since a good shooting guard may attract double-teams, shooting guards are frequently the team's back-up ball handler to the point guard. Most shooting guards, however, focus primarily on scoring, allowing the point guard to worry about distributing the ball. Many bigger shooting guards can also play small forward. Size at the position varies; most shooting guards in the professional game are between 6 ft 3 and 6 ft 8 in or 1.91 to 2.03 m.

Notable shooting guards

Notable current shooting guards include Kobe Bryant, Michael Finley, Manu Ginobili, Dwyane Wade, Ray Allen, Leandro Barbosa, Raja Bell, Morris Peterson, Jason Richardson, Tracy McGrady and Richard Hamilton. Notable shooting guards that have retired from the NBA include Michael Jordan, Reggie Miller and Allan Houston.

References

• The basketball handbook (pg 15) (2004). Lee H. Rose ISBN 0-7360-4906-1