The Five Positions in Basketball

In Basketball there are five positions, none being as important as the point guard. He leads the team on both offense and defense. The shooting guard and small forward have similar duties, with the small forward asked to be a more prominent rebounder. In a lot of cases the power forward and center are also interchangeable, the center is liked to be a more dominant player that controls the paint on both ends of the floor.

Point Guard	The point guard is the most vital part of a basketball team. A point guard leads all four other players on the court, in calling the plays, and telling them where they need to be.
Shooting Guard	The shooting guard is in most cases the best scorer/athlete on the team. The team looks for this position to score a lot of points and to play hard defensively.
Small Forward	The small forward is usually a great rebounder, and defenseman. Expected more to finish at the rim, and occasionally asked to score from the outside.
Power Forward	The power forward is the one of the more skilled players on the court because it is looked at to score not only in the paint but also to be able to step out and hit a mid-range jump shot.
Center	The center is more than likely always the biggest guy on the floor. It must be able to defend the post area well, and dominate the paint on the offensive end.

Created By: Mitch Platt

Last Modified: November 8, 2004