Basketball Positions

point guard: organizes the team’s offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it gets to the right player at the right time. shooting guard: creates a high volume of shots on offense; guards the opponent’s best perimeter player on defense. small forward: often primarily responsible for scoring points via cuts to the basket and dribble penetration; on defense seeks rebounds and steals, but sometimes plays more actively than that. power forward: plays offensively often with his back to the basket; on defense, plays under the basket (in a zone defense) or against the opposing power forward (in man-to-man defense). center: uses size, either to score (on offense) or to protect the basket closely (on defense)