One of the great existential question of basketball is : what is a small forward? It's the position LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony are playing at, when they aren't replacing at power forward in a pinch. That doesn't answer the question, I know. But gien that we defined what is a point guard and a what is a shooting guard, let's lean on the definition of a small forward, both in the classical sense of the term and its applications in today's NBA. As you'll see, it's a question that doesn't really have a straight answer.
Paul Pierce is a great, versatile small forward.
How to recognize a small forward on court: The responsibility of a traditional small forward is to attack the basket, put pressure on the defense. He charges the basket, collects fouls and shoots free throws a lot. That's why he often is the most athletic player on court. The average height of a small forward is 6'8, but I have seen them being from 6'4 to 6'10, based on what type of offense was run and on the player's capacity to slice his way to the basket. He always is a vital piece of every lineup, because he needs to be dominating the backcourt physically and has to be quicker than the power forward and the center.
The small forward's best friend is: Surprise, surprise, the point guard! See, the small forward's job is to finish, score the basketball. In rare cases (LeBron James), the small forward is handling the ball, but he is often too busy cutting to the basket, moving off the ball and getting himself in a position to score to handle the ball, so a smart point guard with a nose for the open man to help him get the ball in a one-on-one situation. Best example I have of that, think how Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce used to complement each other. Rondo kept hitting Pierce in synch at the perimeter in isolation situation for easy jump shots all the time. They lived in symbiosis.
Andrei Kirilenko is a handsome devil AND a non-conventionnal small forward.
Different styles of small forwards: What happens when you play small forward and you're not the best athlete on the court? Andrei Kirilenko wrote the manual on that question. See, the small forward is a cornerstone of perimeter defense. He is a long and quick player who's supposed to keep an eye on the passing lanes. He is also a prime help defense on the perimeter or to collapse down at the rim. Scottie Pippen and Taysaun Prince were both really great at making judgement calls as to when leave their man and help. After point guard, small forward is the position that requires the most decision making on court.
Capital stats for a small forward: 1-Points, 2-Field Goal percentage and 3-Free Throw percentage.
The perfect small forward is: Not LeBron James. Here is why, LeBron James (like Michael Jordan) plays more than one position on the floor. Jordan was a swingman, who played shooting guard and small forward at once and LeBron is what you call a point forward. He plays point guard and small forward at once. Scottie Pippen was the prototypical small foward. He played both sides hard, charged the basket like an animal, guarded his man like a brute, had terrific anticipation AND handled responsibility like a chief.
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