Why the Point Guard Is Important to Basketball

Series Summary

Basketball, b-ball, hoops—these are all names for one of the most popular games in America. Whether it’s professional play in the NBA, college games, the local high school team, a friendly round of one-on-one round, or an outdoor street game at the playground court, basketball is exciting and fast-paced, pitting player against player and skill against skill. Having strong fundamentals like dribbling, passing, and shooting is the key to the success of any aspiring player or team. Though flashy dunks, trick shots, and off the wall dribbling antics are fun to watch and have their place, they often create a “superstar” mentality that ultimately hurts the team if not put in check. What makes basketball great is the combination of individual talent and team strategy, ultimately producing a match that’s sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.

In this free video basketball lesson from an experienced coach, you will learn how to play the position of point guard at the middle school level. The coach will explain how a point guard gets plays started and give tips for passing, setting picks and creating offense off of picks and outlet passes. You will also learn how to stop breakaway baskets and bring the ball up against full-court pressure. Running the offense is a big responsibility, so watch this series to brush up on your skills as well as your options.

Video Transcript

"Hi, this is Sean Habson, and what we want to talk about right now is the importance of the point guard in the offense. Now, a point guard within the offense is your general on the floor, he's your leader, he's to set you up in the middle of plays, he's to keep everybody on the offense going. Usually it's the point guard that the coach will talk to, and tell the point guard to mimic the plays to the other players, and let them know what offenses are in, and let them know defenses are in. So pretty much this guy right here is our point guard, is our floor general. We're going to show you real quickly just a few overview of a couple of the jobs that the point guard does, and why he's so important in the offense. The first important thing that the point guard does in the offense is, he gets the play set up, which sounds a little bit like this. He's got to make sure that he's loud that everybody can hear him on the floor, and then if his players aren't going to the play or setting up the play that he wants them to, then a lot of times he's going to have to redirect those guys and show them where to go. Our point guard not only calls the plays, but he makes sure everybody's where they are supposed to be, if the post is supposed to come up to the high post, he's got to tell him come up and set the high post screen. What ever the case may be, he's our general on the floor, and it's our point guard that's going to get everything started in our offense."