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Point guard must be any team's top athleteStory Tools:

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Charley Rosen / Special to FOXSports.com

Posted: 1 day ago

Shaun Livingston is 6-foot-7 and Earl Boykins is 5-foot-5, but,of all the position players in the NBA, the point guards areclosest in size to the American norm.

Precisely because there are

more of them to chose from,

point guards must be better

athletes than any of their

teammates. And given their

considerable on-court

responsibilities, point-guards

need all the athleticism at their

disposal.

Offense

Above all, the point guard (or

the No. 1 positionon the

basketball floor), must totally

understand and accept his

coach's game plan. This

means knowing when and how

to instigate a fast break (as well

as the early-offense options),

and when and how to initiate

the more deliberate sets.

More than any other player, the No. 1 has to know the duties of every teammate in

every play and every option. Plus their specific strengths, flaws, and personal

quirks.

Who likes to do what and where does he like to do it? Exactly where does this or

that shooter want to receive the catch-and-shoot pass? At his mid-chest, right (orleft) shoulder, or hip, or which point between? How far away from his body? How

much ball speed and spin can he be counted on to safely receive without

compromising his subsequent shot?

Which big men can catch the ball on the run? Which big players can handle

bounce passes? Which can catch, take a dribble and then shoot in an up-tempo

situation?

Where does a certain pivot man want to receive the ball when being defended by

so and so on the right box? What about the left box, or when bulling his way

across the lane?

The relationship between a No. 1 and his bigs is critical. Many big men have a

tendency to be lazy if they don't get shot opportunities early in ball games, so

dropping a dime in their laps ASAP will get them rebounding and defending with

all their might.

And so on.

Besides being a talent scout, points must also have a firm conceptual grasp of

the totality of the game at hand. Most big men, on the other hand, have only the

vaguest notion of which of the opponents' guards are on the court at any given

time.

But the point guard must be aware of every matchup, the score, and the clocks.

Plus, he must know how many timeouts are available to each team. Even the

tendencies of the refs.

Obviously, since the No. 1 is responsible for safely carrying the ball into the

attack zone, he must be a superior ball-handler and passer with a well

developed off hand.

What's more if he's playing with go-to scorer who's routinely two-timed, the No. 1

must also be an efficient outside shooter.

What other offensive skills must he command?

l Utilizing screen/rolls to the max.

l Being able to penetrate well enough to compel the defense to send help.

l Being able to finish in heavy traffic, which usually means having some kind of

high-arcing flip shot that can be released in a hurry while the converging bigs are

still gathering to jump.

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l Making sure to reward a big with an appropriate pass whenever he runs the

court. On the flip side, however transcendent a No.1's talent level might be, his

effectiveness (and playing time) will be limited if he's prone to making bad

decisions. Such as:

l Making the wrong (or even right) pass at the wrong time to the wrong

teammate.

l Forcing a fast break.

l Over-penetrating and getting caught in a spot where there's limited air space

in which to either pass or shoot.

l Shooting too much or too quickly (in the shot clock) while under too much

defensive pressure.

l Forcing passes into crowds.

l Being oblivious to opponents looking to ambush passing lanes.

l Not being aware of the shot clock, the matchups, and/or which opponents

might be in foul trouble.

l Failing to properly position the ball so that the designated play can be

undertaken with the appropriate timing and spacing.

Moreover, history proves that teams led by shoot-first point guards are more

pretenders than contenders. No NBA team has ever won a championship when

its No. 1 has led the league in scoring. And only three teams have won titles

when their point guard was also their leading scorer Isiah Thomas with

Detroit in 1990, Magic Johnson with the Lakers in 1987, and Walt Frazier with

New York in 1973.

Defense

How does a player defend an NBA point

guard?

Point guards are so skilled with the ball

that consistently containing them on

defense can be close to impossible.

Stealing the ball from a No. 1 is a very

risky business because every

unsuccessful steal attempt puts the

defense at a 4-on-5 disadvantage and

usually results in an easy score and/or a

highly avoidable foul being pinned on a

rotating helper usually a big man.

In that case, the best that can be hoped for

is that a defender is able to turn his man

and force him to play with his back to the

basket whenever possible. Why? Passes

can't be made if the ball-handler has his

back to the action.

Defenders can also try to force opposing points to help spots, play them soft if

they're better drivers than shooters, and play them tight if the reverse is true. The

idea behind consistently pressuring a No. 1 in the backcourt is to wear him

down. And since a tired body usually means a tired mind, the hope is that a

weary point will make physical and mental errors at the end of a game.

Certain points can be roughed up at every opportunity T. J. Ford is a prime

example.

Others can be used on defense Steve Nash.

But however it might be accomplished, giving the head of the team a headache

always pays benefits sooner or later.

Besides pressuring the ball, defensive specialists at the No. 1 slot must also be

efficient double-teamers and passing-lane poachers. They also must show

quick hands when helping on ball penetration in the lane.

Defensive-minded points usually can't fulfill the numerous offensive

requirements at a satisfactory level so they are relegated to short rotations. The

best defenders (at point guard) are Lindsey Hunter, Anthony Johnson, Royal Ivey,

Darrell Armstrong, Earl Watson, and Kevin Ollie.

For all these reasons, the point position is the most complex, and is therefore

the most difficult for young players to master. That's why a young, versatile,

intelligent, talented, unselfish No. 1 (the likes of Chris Paul, Kirk Hinrich, and

Tony Parker) is so valuable.

If there's one ultimate yardstick to measure the worth of a point guard it's this: Do

his teammates perform at a higher level when he's in the game or on the bench?

Charley Rosen, former CBA coach, author of 12 books about hoops, the current

one beingA pivotal season How the 1971-72 L.A. Lakers changed the NBA, isa frequent contributor to FOXSports.com.

Magic Johnson set the template forall non-small point guards. (PAUL J.RICHARDS/AFP / Getty Images)

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