Point Guard Research Paper

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Striving for Greatness
The majority of people view the game of basketball as a game where the team that gets the ball through the net more times wins. Anyone with any interest in the game knows that basketball is more complex than that. The big man knows he has to box out every time to get the rebound. The shooting guard knows he has to be confident and ready to knock down a shot when he is open, and the energy player has to be willing to take a charger or dive for the ball to bring life into his teammates. This carries over to the point guard position as well. The average fan and player does not see the thousands of shots in an empty gym a player takes in an effort to “be like Mike,”; therefore, the average fan or player does not understand …show more content…

The point guard is a unique position, and it requires a skill set different from all the other positions. Many traits are important for a point guard's game, but some traits are a necessity. One of the necessities is that the point guard has to have a great handle on the ball. This is the most important skill because many different mandatory skills stem from a great handle. The ability to create easy shots for others comes from a great handle. The point guard has to be able to handle a great deal of pressure and not turn the ball over. If the point guard cannot handle pressure, then it will be a long game against an athletic team. Another skill a point guard has to be great at is passing. People confuse great passing with flashy passers like Magic Johnson and Jason Williams. Although the no look or behind the back passes are crowd pleasers, what made Magic and Jason Williams great passers was that they always knew where everyone was on the court. They made crisp passes, flashy or not, right into their teammates’ hands at the perfect time. The accuracy of a pass is another factor to great passing. An inaccurate pass throws the shooter out of rhythm, and it decreases the shooter’s percentage of making the shot. Point guards should also be able to score for themselves. Other players do not create open shots for the point guard, so the point guard has to be able to create his own shot. Steph Curry is a perfect example of this. He can create a shot for himself whenever he wants. When point guards do get open shots, they need to be capable shooters. They do not need to be deadeye shooters like Ray Allen, but they should consistently knock down open jumpers. Overall, the point guard has to be a well rounded player who can do just about anything, from knocking down tough shots to dropping

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