All coaches know that the most important player on the court is the point guard. The point guard has the responsibility of leading the team, of controlling the ball and of dictating the pace of the game.
Without someone on the floor to take responsibility for those, your team is pretty much lost. Think of New Orleans without CP3. Or the Suns without Nash. They’re a completely different team.
It’s crucial to be a point guard that does not only possess the basic skills of one, but to have the advanced skills that transform you from a wannabe to a true point guard. Being a true point guard is how you will help your team win, make your coach look good, and put you on the starting line up for longer periods of time.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself to test whether you are a true point guard or not. If you answer no to any of these questions, then working on any of the skills you miss will automatically improve you to becoming much better as a floor leader.
Is passing your utmost priority?
Passing should be your number 1 priority always. The Generals of war never fought the battle unless necessary; they only directed the fight. As the General on the court, you should dictate who shoots the shot by passing, and not be doing the shooting yourself.
Are you trying to make your teammates better?
As the floor General, your commitment is to make your team look as good as possible. Your job is to shine by doing all the behind-the-scenes work. By letting your teammates get the glory, the coach will see that you recognize your role as a point guard and will trust you to lead more often.
Are you directing traffic on your team?
One overlooked area of a point guard is the ability to direct the traffic on your team. To make sure your teammates don’t collide and that there’s no overcrowding. The floor needs to be spread out, and players should always be running around, setting screens and rolling off of picks so that your team can break down the defense.
Your job is to co-ordinate this, whether verbally or by example. Steve Nash, when bringing the ball up, will always run to a spot that helps spread their team out the furthest to give more room for players like Stoudamire to do their job.
Are you acting like a leader?
A true point guard is a leader, so you should act like one. Be the first on the floor, show the most passion on the court, run the hardest. Your job is to gain your teammates trust so that command them. But first, you must show that you can be respected and trusted.
14 comments ↓
well-said, man. i dont know if the same person is writing all of these but im writing a essay for college on point guard play and maybe i can post it when im done. let me know. thanks
Hey Greg,
Thanks for the positive feedback. Yup, it’s the same person (me) that writes all this. I just take what I’ve learned on and off the court and try to help others out.
dude awesome site, i simply love it. im trying to learn as much as possible from your tips, thanks so much for the effort and detailed posts! would love to see a power forward and small forward page somewhere, cos im a prett y versatile player who’s not hesitant to try all postitions.
Great tips just what i was looking for. I just started to take basketball more seriously like 2 months back. Due to my lack of height my friend suggested me to play PG. But as a new player i have minimal skill which doesnt really fit as a PG player. I have been looking at alot of sites and they stress alot on passing. Which is more important passing or ball handling? If you can pass well you dont have to dribble much. But if you have better ball handling you will be more versitle. So which would u recommend me to practice first? And like what do you usually do as a PG player and how does it feel. Dont u feel alot of pressure when you are the play maker?
Add my msn if you dont mind. Thanks.
I’m confused about where I belong on the court. I’ve been told that I play like a forward or a center, but I am as tall as point guard. What should I do? I’ve taken advice from so many people saying I should stay down low, but then again I’m built as a point guard. What advice can you give me?
I just stumbled on this site and think its a great idea. I’ve noticed you’ve not posted in 6 months, is the site still running?
Hey Joe,
It has been a while since I have posted on this site. It’s still running - I just haven’t had time to update, between school and basketball.
I apologize for not having updated in so long - in my time off, there’s many more lessons I have yet to post and write about! Thanks for the patience
hey, this site really helps a lot of people, its a great thing ur doing, im probably gonna play basketball next year, and the biggest thing my teammates tell me is to play varsity basketball, because i do to much street-ball moves, but even when they work they get mad at me…do u have any advice? They all say i have talent, they just say think before you do something and play real basketball and not street ball….
thanks
Hey,this is a brilliant site, dedicated to point guard and all.
Im going to try what i read now
But I have a problem, I am point guard, and like it says you have to run the game, but i have people on the team who are too lazy to move even if im shouting alot or they think they are better than me therefore they should not listen to me when im trying to help
Have you got any suggestions on what I can do?
thank you
hey, this site is really helpful, im a varsity starting point guard and judging by this, i still have a lot to learn. I am more of a Allen Iverson type point guard, i can make the “sweet” passes to my teammates, i can shot if need be, and i can dunk =) Thanks for all your help!
@alex - There is a big difference between street ball and organized ball. An example of one of the few people who played street ball and went to the NBA is Rafer Alston a.k.a. “Skip 2 My Lou”. Watch him play for the Houston Rockets and you won’t see hardly any of the moves that made him one of the greatest street ballers ever. The show on ESPN2 should be cancelled because all it does is teach people how NOT to dribble. Fun to watch sometimes, but about 90% of what they do on there is carrying or double dribble. And believe me, the refs will call it. Playing ball for the school is all about fundamentals. Make the easy pass. Take the open shot. If you’re not open, find someone who is. The fewer times the ball hits the floor the better. Don’t dribble around forever. I play alot of pick-up games and I LOVE to guard the guys who try to dribble 90 different ways before they actually go somewhere. I’d say about 70% of the time I can steal the ball even though, more often than not, the guy is quicker than me. In turn, those guys can’t guard me because I don’t dribble around, I just take off toward the rim. Nothing fancy, a little head-fake and I’m gone. My first dribble is usually when I’m almost shoulder to shoulder with them. It’s all about not having any wasted motion. You’ll find you have alot more energy by the end of the game. Anyway, this is what your friends mean by playing “real” basketball. Hope it helps!
Heyy this a really helpful site thanks :] I’ve been playing big man my whole life I’ve never really played a guard position I’m on j.v. but next year as a junior I will be playing at a school that has potential nba players, and my position has to be point guard. I need to work on my dribbling and passing and mainly my understanding of the game and being mentally involved..any advice?
Hi. Great site you have here. I love your articles. I am still trying to make my varsity team in Canada for college. I failed several times already due to my lack of skill, size and height. I hope to make it this September and be a better basketball player.
Hi admin
i try to learn as possible from your articles
well said man
i practice average 2-3 hours hardly everyday
i practice dribbling and scoring persistently
my target is to be best point guard
i am from thailand which isn’t popular with basketball
but i keep on pushing myself to go practice
is that enough?
do you have any more drills?
u can email back 2 me ;-D
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