Bren Mattingly Essay 2 An organized game plan is always the best way to execute your offense/defense in any competitive sport. When players know their game plan and positions on the court or field they have a better sense of where they’re going and when/how they are going to score. In basketball, this is very much the case. Every player must be identified by a certain position based on height, weight, speed, and accuracy. The team must combine their unique set of skills to deliver the most dynamic performance possible. When identified by position on the basketball court, there are 5 types of players, the Point guard, the Shooting guard, the Small forward, the Power forward, and last but not least, the
Center.
Of the first of these five position is the Point guard. The Point guard is the main ball handler and always takes the ball up and down the court after each score. In a sense, the Point guard is the most important attribute to the team. Point guards are very quick and agile, sometimes the fastest on the court. The Point guard runs every play and calls the plays by using numeric hand signals. Naturally, most every point guard has a good sense of “court vision”, such as a quarterback in football. A good point guard focuses more on passing the ball than shooting, he/she wants to get the ball to a person with an open look at the basket to provide the most natural shot possible. They do not want to force a shot or pass to a well covered area. This can most of the time lead to a failed shot attempt or a fast break if intercepted and possibly an earful from the coaching staff.

The second of the five positions is the Shooting guard. The Shooting guard is usually the player to produce the most shots. Keyword: Shooting guard. The shooting guard (most of the time) racks up the most points and constantly focuses on getting open for the next shot. A good Shooting guard should be healthy and physically active. On average, the Shooting guard is the most athletic member of the team. They are very quick on their feet and can jump very, very high. They are the most common type of players to become “media-rized”. In other words, the ones you’ll see on billboards, milk cartons, and television commercials. The ones you would imagine to be hanging from a 10 foot high rim. Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Tracy McGrady, and Michael Jordan are all prime examples of Shooting guards. Often, Shooting guards have a tendency to become the most cocky and arrogant ones on the team too. Due to a few massive dunks and a couple of cross overs they become posterized and idolized to the point where they actually believe (consciously or unconsciously) that they are about the best in the world. Some
Shooting guards in the NBA won’t even sign autographs. The third type of position is the Small forward position. A Small forward is the most open position to play because you can have a variety strategy’s to follow through with during the game. Some players, such as Tayshaun Prince from the Detriot Pistons, are more of a offensive threat and can score easily when the time is right. Tayshaun
Prince is a long, lanky player who is considered to be the most well rounded offensive
Small forward in the league. He’s great for offensive rebounds, is always ready for the open look, and can bust a three pointer when in a last second clutch situation. Other players, such as Caron Butler from the Washington Wizards, are more on the defensive end of the spectrum. Butler can use his muscle to block out for defensive rebounds and is tall enough to easily stuff down an opponents shot attempts. Sometimes coaches will rotate other players in and out of Small forward position due to the other team’s Small forwards. Most small forwards will often look for a mid to low key shot. The Small forwards are usually larger than the guards. They use their size to their advantage and set picks for the other guards to get open drives to the basket. The fourth position is the Power forward position. Power forwards focus on posting up and getting rebounds. They are always quite a bit larger than the Small forwards. These players are responsible for the most blocked shots and sometimes defensive rebounds as well. They usually stay low to defend the bucket and collect boards. Most Power forwards try to get good positioning so they can use a spin move to sink a low hook shot or dunk. Sometime you’ll have Power forwards, like Dirk Nowitzki, that can run out to the sides to sink a surprise three point basket. This can be used as a great offensive strategy when your game plan is really starting to plummet. Having a big man on your side that can knock down a three point shot provides a huge advantage for the offense. Probably the most recognizable player on the court would be the Center. Centers are almost always the largest players on the court, height wise and weight wise. They’re the most dominating players with the ball on the court. When the ball ends up in their hands, you better look out because they’re coming in hard. They’re steady players when it comes to providing good. solid defense. The Center supplies the most defense in the paint, since that’s where he normally stays. Even though their defense is great, sometimes their offense lacks. Centers are notorious for having terrible free throw percentages and low shot percentages from the field. They dribble the least and are notorious for being the worst ball handlers on the court. Most Centers offensive purpose is to post up down low and muscle the ball through the hoop. Some Centers however, such as Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic and Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers extend out a few steps and hit the mid-range jumpers. Generally, the organization of these five players is very crucial to winning the game. Every position provides a separate role in setting up plays and scoring, but they all play as one when their defending against the other team. In basketball, you have to be a team and combine every type of players skills to acquire success. It takes a Point guard,
Shooting guard, Small forward, Power forward, and a Center to make a good, organized basketball team.