Introduction: How to play PG

No, this is not about training like Paul George or the training regimen of the “point god” who is beginning to look better in his commercials than on the court. 

This is a system of training basketball skills training for Point Guards (if you believe they still exist in today’s “position-less” basketball). While the days of “scoring” or “pass-first” point guards are over like the careers of Allen Iverson and John Stockton, the prototypes of each of these versions of the point guard position, teams still need a good ball handler that can bring the ball up the court under pressure and initial the offense. 

Traditionally, point guards were usually the shortest player on the court, which is still often the case and makes sense as it is often more difficult to steal the ball from such a low dribbler.

So, if you are a “shorter” player, despite the fact that now 7 foot tall ballers can dribble the ball up the court and initiate the offense, you STILL have an advantage over these players due to the fact that you can dribble so low to the ground AND sprint up the court at top speed. Lumbering giants may be able to do both but not simultaneously.

The “true” (i.e. short) PG is still a very common and valuable position. So what was all this talk about, “Gone are the days of shoot-first or pass-first PGs”???

Well, the game has evolved more than just tall players improving their handles. Yes, assists and points are still highly rated stats, but team offensive efficiency is, or should be, valued above individual statistics in a game with ever-narrowing skill sets. Thus, a team can be successful even without a traditional (dribble the ball up and pass) point guard.

You can call the position the “quarterback of the offense” or the “on-court” coach, but I prefer to just call this player simply “the point,” and to run “point” on offense for me you need to be able to do these things:

1. Get the ball across half-court against pressure defense. 

2. Recognize the defense and look for advantageous matchups. 

3. Create or take a high-quality shot. 

4. Be the offensive leader. 

If you are looking to improve your “point” game or coach up your offense point person, take a look at my “Running the point efficiently” program to get tips and insights into the mindset of a successful point player and dozens of individual and team drills to emphasize the value of offensive efficiency while stressing the fundamentals of basketball to minimize deadly turnovers. 

Remember, anyone can play point these days so these concepts and drills can help any player positions 1 through 5 as well as the sixth man or anyone starting or coming off the bench. A team can’t have too many offensive point players who play smart, efficiently, and skillfully.