What are the roles of a point guard in basketball?

Answer 1

Point guard is one of the standard positions in a regulation Basketball game. The point guard is normally the smallest player on the team and has perhaps the most specialized role of any position.

Essentially, the point guard is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it gets to the right players at the right time.

After an opponent scores, it is typically the point guard who brings the ball down court to begin an offensive play. For this reason, passing skills and court vision are essential; great point guards are often evaluated more on their assist totals than on their scoring.

Still, a first-rate point guard should also have a reasonably effective jump shot and should be a scoring threat from long distance. Point guards should also exert a leadership role on the floor similar to that of a quarterback in American football.

A true point guard's job is to create instances that lead to a field goal for his team; this includes passing, but also running the offense: setting up plays on the court, getting the ball to the teammate that he feels is in the best position to score, and also dictating the tempo of the game.

Many times, the point guard is referred to by announcers as a "coach on the floor" or a "floor general". In the past, this was particularly true, as several point guards (like Lenny Wilkens) served their team as player-coach. This is not as common anymore, as most coaches choose to call out the plays they wish to have run before each possession, but some point guards are still given a great deal of leeway in the offense: for example, during Steve Nash's MVP 2004-05 season, Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni allowed him to freelance often when leading the Suns' high-powered offense, even letting Nash call his own plays at times.

But even point guards who are not given this much freedom are still extensions of their coach on the floor, and must display good leadership skills. The styles with which point guards do their job vary widely from player to player. Quickness is often cited as a necessity for the position, but this is not necessarily true. While players like Nash, Rafer Alston, Allen Iverson, and Tony Parker thrive on quickness, many other point guards, like Mike Bibby and Kirk Hinrich, rely on savvy to lead their team.

Likewise, many effective point guards help their team by being fantastic shooters (some examples would be Chauncey Billups, Jason Terry, Derek Fisher, and Damon Jones). The important thing for point guards is to be able to pass and dribble the ball frequently without committing turnovers, and to keep the team under control at all times.

High-profile point guards currently playing include Steve Nash, Chris Paul, Allen Iverson, Tony Parker, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Mike Bibby, Nick Van Exel, Baron Davis, Chauncey Billups, Sue Bird (of the WNBA), Steve Francis, T.J. Ford, and Gilbert Arenas. Great point guards of the past include Bob Cousy, Lenny Wilkens, Walt Frazier, Nate Archibald, Magic Johnson (who was an unusual point guard, standing at 6'9"/2.06 m), Isiah Thomas, and John Stockton.

Another great guard of the past, Oscar Robertson, combined the skills of a point guard with those of a small forward, foreshadowing the modern role of the point forward.