This is part two of a two-part series on positions and archetypes in the NBA. Click here for part one. As the NBA has experienced an evolution of dramatic pace over the last six years, there's never been more disagreement over how to define positions in basketball. As I touched on in the last blog post, the game has shifted towards a more "outside-in" rather than "inside-out" offensive style, placing a greater emphasis on versatility and skills like ball handling, shooting, slashing, passing, and so forth. Think about it: how many times have you heard it pointed out about some player 6'9 or taller that he has "guard skills" – quite frequently is the answer, so much so that it makes you wonder whether that should just be taken for granted at this point (Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Evan Mobley are a few salient examples from the last couple of draft classes). The result is a muddying of the waters when we try to fit certain players into strictly defined positions with archaic views of basketball in mind – who are the guards on a team if 4 out of 5 guys in the lineup can play like guards and abound with guard skills?
A New Era of Positions in Basketball
A New Era of Positions in Basketball
A New Era of Positions in Basketball
This is part two of a two-part series on positions and archetypes in the NBA. Click here for part one. As the NBA has experienced an evolution of dramatic pace over the last six years, there's never been more disagreement over how to define positions in basketball. As I touched on in the last blog post, the game has shifted towards a more "outside-in" rather than "inside-out" offensive style, placing a greater emphasis on versatility and skills like ball handling, shooting, slashing, passing, and so forth. Think about it: how many times have you heard it pointed out about some player 6'9 or taller that he has "guard skills" – quite frequently is the answer, so much so that it makes you wonder whether that should just be taken for granted at this point (Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Evan Mobley are a few salient examples from the last couple of draft classes). The result is a muddying of the waters when we try to fit certain players into strictly defined positions with archaic views of basketball in mind – who are the guards on a team if 4 out of 5 guys in the lineup can play like guards and abound with guard skills?