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Basketball Positions
	Point guard
	Shooting guard
	Small forward
	Power forward
	Center
Additional Positions
	Swingman
	Point forward

The Shooting guard (SG), also known as the two guard or off guard,^[1] is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for their team.^[1] Some teams ask their shooting guards to bring up the ball as well; these players are known colloquially as "combo guards". A player who can switch between playing shooting guard and small forward is known as a swingman.

Contents 1 Shooting guard characteristics 2 Styles of play 3 Notable shooting guards 4 Notes 5 References

Shooting guards, like all player positions in basketball, have specific characteristics that are essential for them to help guide their team to a victory. "The Basketball Handbook" by Lee Rose describes a shooting guard as someone whose primary role is to score points. One perfect example of a shooting guard is Ray Allen of the Seattle Supersonics. Typically, shooting guards are bigger than point guards, but size does not preclude smaller players from playing the position. One such notable player is Allen Iverson, a shooting guard who plays for the Denver Nuggets. While shooting guards are sometimes the best jump-shooters on the floor (hence the "shooting" part of the position name), most can also drive to the basket well. One good example is Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat and Vince Carter of the New Jersey Nets who use their superior athletic abilities to finish high flying dunks and whirling layups.

Other characteristics a shooting guard should have are: A good catch-and-shoot skill set, (being able to line up at a designated spot, catch the basketball and make a shot without dribbling). Shooting guards also typically show an ability to penetrate into the basketball lane, and finish at the rim, by either a dunk or layup via Vince Carter and Dwyane Wade type players.

Shooting guards can be known for excelling at certain skills, such as having a great shooting touch like Ray Allen and Allan Houston, or being able to dunk in an athletic high flying manner such as Vince Carter or being able to throw it down with reasonable strength such as Jason Richardson. Many shooting guards also possess a natural ability to take contact (being fouled) and finish the play resulting in the "old fashioned three-point play" of perhaps better known as an "and one".On the other side of the ball, some shooting guards, including notables such as Morris Peterson, are known for their defense. Others, like Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant, are good on almost all the skills needed by a Shooting Guard.

A shooting guard should be a good ball handler and be able to pass reasonably well, although passing is not their main priority. Since a good shooting guard may attract double-teams, shooting guards are frequently the team's back-up ball handler to the point guard. Most shooting guards, however, focus primarily on scoring, allowing the point guard to worry about distributing the ball. Many bigger shooting guards can also play small forward. Size at the position varies; most shooting guards in the professional game are between 6 ft 3 and 6 ft 8 in or 1.91 to 2.03 m. but most often around 6'6",

Michael Jordan, perhaps the best-known basketball player in history, played primarily as a shooting guard, and helped define the role of the modern position. His skills included an uncanny ability to cut to the basket. Reggie Miller, on the other hand, is a more classic display of what the shooting guard position prototypically demands: lankier than Jordan, he moved very well off screens without the ball, and was a deadly jump shooter with a lightning-quick release.

There are many high profile shooting guards still active in professional basketball including Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Michael Redd, Ben Gordon, Diana Taurasi (WNBA player),Dwyane Wade, Richard Hamilton, and Allen Iverson.

Famous shooting guards of the past include Clyde Drexler, Joe Dumars, Jo Jo White, George Gervin, Hal Greer, John Havlicek, Allan Houston, Sam Jones, Michael Jordan, Pete Maravich, Earl Monroe, Mitch Richmond, Bill Sharman,and Jerry West.