What makes a good point guard? | Adam Spinella

Written by Coach Peterman

I have coached at the NCAA Division 2 (Southwestern Oklahoma State University), NAIA (USAO), and JUCO Levels (Blinn College and Carl Albert State College) as well as high school. I just felt that fellow coaches especially young coaches need to constantly work on their “game”. Just like the basketball players that we coach. We as coaches need to improve ourselves. That is my story and why I do this blog.

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September 23, 2014

What makes a good point guard?
Adam Spinella

The point guard position is one of the most scrutinized and highly important positions in sports. The clichés and old adages about the position are corny and overused, but there is truth to them. The point guard is the leader on the court, the extension of the coach, the smart player, and on and on it goes. But how do you boil all of this down to see if you are truly being a good point guard? Because each player and team is different, there is no singular desired result you can look at in the box score. But by and large, point guards need to have certain skills if they want to be fulfilling all the duties that would be expected of a point guard. These essential skills fall under three categories for point guards:

1. Preparedness
2. Basketball skills
3. Leadership skills

Preparedness:

Are you mentally focused for every game? Do you understand personnel of the opposing team? Do you understand your own teammates and their strengths and weaknesses? This all has to do with mental preparedness – how much time do you spend paying attention to the little things, and how much time do you spend mentally getting ready for a game?

Because point guards are the ones who help call plays, you must be fluent in that basketball language. The old phrase “a point guard is an extension of the coach” comes with some responsibility – you have to be able to understand why things happen at a certain time on the court, and then explain that to your teammates.

Your work ethic is part of your preparedness. Are you the first player in the gym? Do you spend time with everyone on the team? Do you take plays off during practice? Do you look for excuses or are you results-oriented? As a leader, you must be able to set the tone with your work ethic. It’s not just games – it’s every single practice, team activity or off-court workout.

I recently asked a well-respected and successful high school coach about what the biggest skill for a point guard was. “A feel for the game” was his response. “The most important statistic for a point guard is wins, and winning point guards have a high basketball IQ and a feel for the game”.

Basketball skills:

Being a point guard, quite literally, means you are a guard who is positioned at the point of attack. Your guard skills will be your first concern – can you pass, handle the ball and shoot the ball at a high level? Remember that nothing earns credibility with your teammates than your playing ability.

What does it mean to be at the point of attack? On offense you are the main initiator. Do you get your teammates into the right spots on the court? You must know where each player is supposed to be during each play.

The point of attack is just as important on defense. As a point guard, most of the time you will be defending the opposing team’s point guard. That means you must disrupt their point of attack. You set the tone for each defensive possession. Will you get into the ball handler and dictate where he goes? Be the type of defender you would hate to have guarding you.

As a point guard, you must be a crafty player around the basket, especially if you struggle scoring. Know how to pass, create for others, and pick the right times to score. Recognize that a pass is only a good pass if it goes to the right teammate. If you pass to your teammate alone on the three-point range, but he isn’t a good shooter and will take the shot anyway, are you making the right pass? There’s a difference between unselfishness and over-involving others.

Finally, point guards do not have to be great shooters. It will always help if you are a good shooter, but some of the most successful point guards have been poor shooters. If you are not going to rely on your shooting ability, you must be able to get to the free throw line, make your free throws and get your teammates easy opportunities to score.

Do you always know the time and score? Do you take it personally when a team thinks they can press against you? Do you always attack north-south, not east-west? Do you quickly transition from offense to defense? Do you make sure your big men are being rewarded for running the floor? Do you know how to read a ball screen quickly enough so that you can score no matter what a defense does to combat it?

Leadership skills:

Point guards must dream the dream more than other players do. They play the game more, have a chip on their shoulder, want to beat the odds, and compete. Your drive and passion must be contagious and unparalleled.

When a team is losing, point guards believe that the team can work through it and he helps make other players believe as well. When your team is down late in a game, other players believe because the point guard does. Your body language can communicate a strong message.

Point guards love to control the game, take charge, whether right or wrong, and make others follow them. How do you get to take charge and gain that leadership position? It takes time within the team for a leader to gain that trust. Be the first one in the gym. If you aren’t the captain on the team, forge a relationship with the captains. Be able to relate with and communicate with everyone on the team – from the top players to the last man on the roster. Treat everyone fairly, tell it how it is, and be a listening ear as well as a voice of reason.

Your voice will be heard most frequently on the court. So practice habits on positive reinforcement, constructive criticism and open honesty. If something is wrong, you must be able to identify and explain the problem quickly, then get everyone on the same page.

Here is a list of 30 things that effective point guards will say or do on the court:
1. Huddle up the team at every dead ball or timeout
2. Seek out the coach while a teammate or opponent is shooting a free throw
3. Know the shooters on the opposing team and ensure your teammates are aware
4. Never run away from the ball when it is passed to you, always run towards it.
5. Help fallen teammates off the ground
6. High five teammates at any opportunity you get
7. Sit next to coach when you are on the bench and be actively engaged with them
8. Don’t scrutinize someone for missing a shot – we all miss shots from time to time
9. Call someone out if their effort clearly isn’t cutting it
10. DO NOT let emotion get the best of you, especially in front of the referees
11. “Let’s get a stop here”
12. “Let’s make a run”
13. “Keep ___ from getting an open look”
14. “It’s our turn now”
15. “Is this really as good as we can be?”
16. “We have to get stops”
17. “Don’t let up – if you’re gassed, get a sub”
18. “Box out!”
19. “Defense is a team concern, but we all are accountable for our own man”
20. “Stop sulking and make the next play”
21. “Play hard, and don’t let up”
22. “It might not be a bad shot, but can we get a better one?”
23. “Don’t let our opponent tell us how we play our game”
24. “Don’t let the crowd tell us how we play our game”
25. “I trust you”

Coach Adam Spinella is entering his first season as an Assistant Coach at Culver Academies in Culver, IN. Spinella spent the three years prior as a Student Assistant Coach at Division III Dickinson College. The Dickinson Men’s Team advanced to two NCAA Tournaments and accumulated an overall record of 59-26 (.694) during the three-year span, with the 2013-2014 season ending in the Division III Elite Eight. A native of Bow, New Hampshire, Spinella has a keen interest in X’s and O’s, particularly in professional basketball, and skill development.

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