Point guard

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Point guard" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player on the court. Point guards are expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it gets to the right player at the right time. Above all, the point guard must understand and accept their coach's game plan; in this way, the position can be compared to the position of quarterback in gridiron football. They must also be able to adapt to what the defense is allowing and must control the pace of the game.

A point guard specializes in certain skills, like other player positions in basketball. Their primary job is to facilitate scoring opportunities for their team, or sometimes for themselves. Lee Rose has described a point guard as a coach on the floor, who can handle and distribute the ball to teammates. This typically involves setting up plays on the court, getting the ball to the teammate in the best position to score and controlling the tempo of the game. Generally, a point guard should always look out for teammates and have the ability to pass well. A point guard should know when and how to instigate a fast break and initiate the more deliberate sets. Point guards are expected to be vocal floor leaders, with situational awareness of the shot clock and game clock times, the score, the number of remaining timeouts for both teams and more.

Magic Johnson won the National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) three times in his career, the most for a point guard in NBA history. Stephen Curry and Steve Nash have each been named the league MVP twice. Other NBA point guards with wins include Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Allen Iverson, Derrick Rose, and Russell Westbrook. Since 1969, Johnson and Curry are the only point guards to win the NBA MVP, Finals MVP and All-Star Game MVP awards in their careers. Notable point guards of the WNBA include five-time champion Sue Bird, her Olympic teammate Diana Taurasi (the only two basketball players of either gender to earn five Olympic gold medals for basketball^[1]) and Courtney Vandersloot. In the NBA, point guards generally range from 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) to 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) whereas in the WNBA, point guards are usually 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) or shorter. Having above-average size (height, muscle) is considered advantageous, although size is secondary to situational awareness, speed, quickness and ball-handling skills. At 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) the shortest player in NBA history, Muggsy Bogues played 889 games in a 14-year career as a point guard.

After the opponent scores, it is typically the point guard who brings the ball down the court to begin an offensive play. Passing skills, ball handling and court vision are crucial. Speed is important; a speedy point guard is better able to create separation and space off the dribble, giving themselves room to work. Point guards are often valued more for their assist totals than for their scoring. John Stockton holds the all time NBA record for assists. Another major evaluation factor is the assist-to-turnover ratio, which reflects the decision-making skills of the player. Given the evolved nature of basketball in the modern day, a first-rate point guard is also required to have a reasonably effective jump shot.