Point Guard
Point Guard [ pɔɪnt gɑ ɹd ː ] (English to German point guard, literally the trend-setting defender) is a position title in the sport of basketball. Together with the shooting guard they form the backcourt. The point guard is also called Playmaker ( playmaker ) and is usually the smallest players on a basketball team. In general, it is very quick and agile and has excellent ball handling. Likewise, his game overview is of great importance, because the point guard decides when each move is started. He must therefore also distinguished by wise decisions. The point guard is a kind of " extended arm " of the coach on the field.
Among the best known point guards include Bob Cousy, John Stockton, Isiah Thomas, Jason Kidd, Derrick Rose and Steve Nash. An exception to the usual definition of a point guard as the smallest players make Oscar Robertson (1.96 m) and Magic Johnson (2.06 m). Despite its size, both had the skills of a point guard, which made them all in all the best players in their position.
History
As the first true point guard is usually referred to Nat Holman, who played in the 1920s at the New York Whirlwinds and the Original Celtics. As one of the first he directed the plays on the field. At that time, however, was still considered the division into Guard = defender and forward = attacker, why Holman aground as a forward.
Applies Bob Cousy of the Boston Celtics, meanwhile, as a revolutionary point- guard position. Initially ridiculed to fit for his confused way to look to Cousy turned out to be the dominant guard in the 1950s and was with his passing game model for all subsequent generations his Guards. Applies Marques Haynes of the Harlem Globetrotters Meanwhile, as a revolutionary of the ball handling. Haynes was probably the first who dribbled behind his back and between the legs, and found it, as well as Cousy, numerous imitators in the following guard generations.
The 1960s saw Oscar Robertson with the first forward who took over the duties of the Guards. Since then, this play was imitated by a few outstanding NBA players such as Magic Johnson, Scottie Pippen, Grant Hill and LeBron James. For another player of this style of play, Paul Pressey, mid-1980s, the term was coined Point Forward. Since these players defending while attacking the tasks of the point guards in the defense but the opposing shooting guards or small forwards, they were asked a smaller player on the page in the rule, then the opposing point guard defended ( for example, Byron Scott at Magic Johnson).
Although in the 1990s and the new millennium classic ball distributors as Assist record holder John Stockton, Mark Jackson and the two-time MVP winner Steve Nash could be seen, and more new types of point guards were added: increasingly larger and more powerful players like Gary Payton or Chauncey Billups often acted close to the basket, where they easily came against smaller opponent on points. In the 2007 /08 NBA season came with a classic point guard Chris Paul a Player Efficiency Rating of 28.3 and thus the highest value that could ever achieve a PG. Paul came to vote for the MVP in 2008 at No. 2 behind shooting guard Kobe Bryant.
Today there are many different types of point guards who act very differently on the field. So there are point guards who attach great importance to score points (eg, Russell Westbrook ), as opposed to those that mainly assists distribute (eg Rajon Rondo ). Similarly, there are point guards who have found a balance in points and Assisting (eg Tony Parker).