Basketball is played with five members of each team on the court at the same time. Each player on a team of five plays a position. Certain skills are involved in playing a position effectively. There are also particular physical characteristics that may make a player better-suited for one position over another.
Guards and Forwards
Basketball has two categories of players---guards and forwards. In a standard offensive alignment, guards typically stand farther away from the offensive basket, while forwards are positioned more "forward" in direction to the basket. A typical team has two guards and three forwards.
The Five Positions
There are five positions in basketball. They are numbered from 1 to 5, and each position is often referred to by its number.
The positions are:
1. Point guard
2. Shooting guard
3. Small forward
4. Power forward
5. Center
Point Guard and Shooting Guard
The point guard is the team's lead ballhandler. This means that the point guard is the player most responsible for possessing the ball and dribbling it up-court toward the offensive basket. Ideally, the point guard is the most skillful ballhandler of the five players and the best at maintaining possession of the ball. In keeping possession of the ball, point guards are often very fast and agile, to elude defenders. Point guards are often the shortest players on the team because of the required combination of speed and ballhandling skills. This position is the most reliant on deft passing skills and court vision.
The shooting guard is usually the best shooter on the team. The shooting guard should have excellent range on his shot, meaning he can make shots at a high percentage from a distance. On offense, a shooting guard must use quickness to get open and take a shot. The shooting guard should also have good ballhandling skills to create his own shot off the dribble. Shooting guards are typically slightly taller than point guards as a shooting guard needs to be able to shoot over the defender.
Small Forward and Power Forward
The small forward is often the smallest and leanest player of the forward positions but larger than both guards. Small forwards are versatile players with a variety of skills. A small forward should be able to have a good shot from outside but also have the speed and strength to get past a defender and score near the basket. The small forward should be adept in a fast-break, a quick end to end attack of the basket, due to her speed, ballhandling, size and athleticism.
The power forward is a strong interior player who has the strength to score in crowds near the basket and is excellent at rebounding of misses on offensive and defensive ends. The power forward is important in providing interior defense by contesting opposition attempts near the basket. The power forward is not normally required to dribble the ball much--just to gain leverage inside and create space for their close-range offensive moves.
The Center
The center is the biggest, strongest member of the five-person unit. In the center position, there is the greatest reliance on physical stature over tactile skills. The center is responsible for defending the biggest player on the other team. Using his height, the center should be good at blocking or altering the shots of the opponents and also rebounding the ball under the basket on misses. Offensively, the center should be able to convert short-range shots and layups with any additional shooting range a bonus.
Considerations
Although these are the five typical positional alignments, positions or roles are often altered based on matching up with the opposing team's players skills or strengths. Over a full season, a player should become comfortable playing one or two positions competently.
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