Evolution of the Point Guard: From small to big, back to...

[mkwest]

Evolution of the Point Guard: From small to big, back to small

When I was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 1981, the NBA was moving away from 6-foot small guards playing in the backcourt. The common thought at that time was that small guards could not win championships and be dominant in a sport that favored and valued size. Many basketball experts believed that the small man in basketball would become extinct. The point guard position had been given a new label: "point forward." This new term was the best way to describe a 6-foot-9, 240-pound player like Magic Johnson, who was his team's primary ballhandler. So the declaration went out. The NBA stood for "No Boys Allowed." The term "boys," of course, implied that small men could not lead a team to a championship in the Association.

Today we might say that the NBA is an acronym for "No Bigs Allowed." There is a belief among some experts that the big man has no place in the game. In fact, the center position is not even on the NBA All-Star ballot! The point guard has evolved into the most dominant position on the floor, and high and side pick-and-roll basketball is the way the game is most commonly played.

Although every position is trained to be far more complete than in days past, generally speaking, only the point guard has come close to such completion. Only the point is required to take every aspect of the game plan off the board and make it come to life on the court. Only the point guard must be a threat to score from any area of the floor. From the 3-point line to the front of the rim, the small man must be good in every area. Depending on the position, completeness is either a goal or a necessity for all players now, which has made the game better.

Maybe no team better exemplifies this evolution than the streaking Los Angeles Clippers. With Chris Paul, Eric Bledsoe, Jamal Crawford, Chauncey Billups and Willie Green, they have the most complete set of guards on one team. Former Pistons General Manager Jack McCloskey had a saying: "You should never be guard-poor in this league," and the Clippers are definitely in the top 1 percent of guard-wealth in the NBA. Chris Paul, the small leader of the Clippers, has kicked the door down and boldly announced his team's arrival.

Isiah Thomas, NBA.com

[tsherkin]

We call this "talent cycle," heh.

Interesting article.