Women Wednesdays: Basketball Positions Pt. 2

  I hope my ladies out there learned something last week from my first edition of Women Wednesdays in which I broke down the backcourt postions in basketball. This week I'm going to explain the last 3 positions, also known as the "frontcourt". An easy way to recognize the frontcourt players is to remember that these are the players you will see closer to the basket area hence the "front" of the court. (Makes better sense that way right?)

Small Forward: This position is also known as "The 3". This player is generally found closer to the baseline, which I have labeled for you in the diagram below.
Main Duties and Characteristics:

• Needs to be pretty quick and more lean than "The 4" (which you'll learn next)
• Have the ability to draw fouls and get to the free throw line often
• Efficient in posting-up (positioning himself near the basket, establishing position while pinning the defender with his body and calling for the ball), lay-ups, and dunk
• Be one of the most versatile players on the court and a very efficient shooter (as this position and the shooting guard can be interchangeable in some cases)
• The average NBA small forward is between 6 foot 6 inches and 6 foot 9 inches 

  A good small forward should serve as an "X-factor" if you will. With their great versatility and ability to score  from a close and long range, they can cause major problems for the opponent's defense and draw enough attention to make opportunities for their teammates. For example, the New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony is a small forward. Carmelo has the right amount of weight to make him more efficient at posting up and backing defenders down (which is when you see one player "backing down into an opponent" with his backside while dribbling trying getting closer to the basket). This ability then rolls over into his ability to continuously draw fouls. The more aggressive a player works while close to the basket the more likely it is that a defender will foul them while trying to prevent the player from scoring. With Anthony averaging 28.2 points per game, we can surely infer without going into details that he is an efficient shooter.

Power Forward: This position is also known as "The 4". As you may have guessed by the name, this player has to have some bulk in the muscles and girth on him.
Main duties and characteristics:

• Good passing ability
• Reliable scorer near the basket 
• a strong rebounder (act of recovering the ball after the opponent attempts a shot)
• ability to score around the baseline area and commonly in a range of 12-17 feet from the basket (a great power forward would be a very versatile shooter that can shoot from even further out)
• ability to toughly defend bigger players closer to the basket and smaller quicker players further from the basket
• NBA power forwards are usually between 6 foot 8 inches and 7 foot weighing anywhere from 240-260 pounds

  A good example of a lethal power forward is Dirk Norwitzki of the Dallas Mavericks. Though he is best known for his uncanny ability to score at will, he has the size to be able to defend and battle against centers (which you'll learn next) as well as disrupt smaller players that may be trying to get near the basket. A skilled and aggressive player like Dirk gets to the line frequently where over his career he makes his free throws 87% of the time. Again needless to explain, a player like Dirk, who also over his career averages 22.7 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game obviously has done an outstanding job fulfilling the duties of his position.

Center: Finally the last position is, as you probably guessed, also known as the "The 5". An easy way to spot this position is by identifying the players at the center of the court during tipoff who jump for the ball when the game starts. Those are each teams respective centers.
Main duties and characteristics:

• usually the tallest player on the floor
• most common mode of scoring: to post up and use post moves (backing down, pivoting to position himself) for hook shots, dunks, and very short ranged jump shots
• team's main rebounder
• strong and tough presence in the close proximity of the basket making all that come through the area think twice before they make a move for fear of having their shot blocked/altered or the power of the center's body
• NBA center's average height : 7 feet tall

  The Los Angeles Lakers' center Dwight Howard is often called the best center in the NBA. Dwight averages 12.9 rebounds per game over his career. Listed at 6 foot 11 inches, he effectively dominates opponents  in the area near the basket and so long as his point guard and teammates get him the ball, he is very likely to score on his defender explaining his 18.2 points per game average over his career. It is hard to argue that Howard isn't the best active playing center right now, despite the Lakers current struggles, when over his career he averages a double-double. What is a double-double? Check in with my next week and I'll explain that, as well as how to assess how well these players are doing at their positions statistically. You've got the general outline and examples of each position and next I'll show you how to tell just how well a player is doing at what he's getting paid for.

  I want to hear from you ladies. Are these breakdowns helpful and/or easy to understand? Have a suggestion for something you want me to explain one Wednesday? Just have a random basketball question? Email me, write me on FaceBook, or even better tweet me at @RealRundown. I'm open to all feedback!

Part 1 answers: Kobe Bryant & Micheal Jordan: Shooting guards 

                        Derek Rose & Mario Chalmers: Point guards

Source: Huffington Post NBA