Point Guard Discussion

We have some common misconceptions here about the Point Guard position, and as a lifelong PG myself, I thought I would write up some of my thoughts. The impetus for writing this largely centers around the notion that the current Gators basketball roster does not have a "true PG" as a starter for the 2023 season.

Why do people think this? It's simple really. Walter Clayton Jr. played SG very effectively at Iona, so logically, people assume that he is not a true PG. This is false. He was initially a PG in high school, who is a great shooter, and was moved to SG by his coach Rick Pitino because it made sense for the team he had fielded.

So what makes a "true PG"?
1) Dribbling - the PG must be able to effectively get to any spot on the court against pesky defenders without turning the ball over.

2) Passing - a player doesn't need to pass with the flash of Magic Johnson or Pistol Pete, but they must be able to to pass crisply and accurately. Style should not be discounted as showing off, though. Sometimes a flashy pass is the only way pass could be made and demonstrates a high-level skill that not all PGs possess.

3) Vision - Possibly the most important PG trait, because if a player doesn't have it, they probably shouldn't be considered as an option to run point even if they can dribble and pass. Vision isn't all about being able to see things before others or better than others, it's also about willingness and habit. Before a rebound is secured, or an inbound pass hits their hands, the PG should have already assessed the situation and have a general idea of what is developing. They should always have their head up.

4) Situational awareness - Goes with vision, but is not quite the same. The PG has to know what is currently happening, and what will happen. They have to have a "feel" for the game.

5) Tempo Control - Last on my list, which is not a comprehensive, due to brevity's sake (I'm impressed if any of you made it this far) is tempo control. A very underrated and underestimated skill. If I'm being critical of UF point guard play in the post-Chiozza era, this is where the team has been lacking the most at the PG position. Too much walking the ball up. Too much deliberate execution. Not enough attack and aggressiveness. PGs should not seek to control tempo by merely slowing it down to a comfortable pace. Good PGs are constantly trying to exploit and unsettle the defense. Never allow the defense to get comfortable in what they are doing. If a team is rushing and taking forced shots, then the PG should slow it down. To use an example from the classic movie Ben-Hur, with the different ship rowing speeds (normal, battle, attack, and ramming speeds) typically the slowest pace a team wants to be operating in is at battle speed, but ideally they'd spend most of the time in attack speed with bursts to ramming speed.

Honorable Mentions:
Scoring - the scoring ability a PG has, the better. There is no additional benefit to having a PG who is merely a passer and defender. While a team may get away with it, ideally, the PG is also a deadly scorer.
Defense - great defense up top at the PG position usually disrupts the other team's entire offense and tends to generate fast break opportunities.
Clock management - PG should be a walking clock on the court and understand nuances of the game with relation to time constraints.
Leadership - naturally, having the most responsibility on the court, the PG should at minimum be one of the team leaders, if not the main leader.

 

Would love to hear thoughts from you all whether you agree or disagree!

 

I get what you are saying, but the tape on both players doesn't suggest Kugel being the better PG. He might be a good PG and very effective, but I think he is better suited at SG if Clayton is on the court. If you look at my list of PG skills, do you really think that Kugel is better at any of these than Clayton? This isn't a knock on Kugel... I think Kugel has lottery pick potential if he shows even a 15-20% improvement this year. I'd also argue that the best shooter doesn't necessarily become the SG. Steph is a better shooter than Klay, even though Klay is a beast. Steph is still the PG for a reason, and Klay is still the SG for a reason.

I don't believe Kugel was a PG in high school, BTW. Wasn't Aberdeen the starting PG?

 

I kind of figured that, because when I watched some tape on Clayton it was obvious he is a skilled PG. He's not just a shooter. He's a complete point guard.

 

I have to take issue with one part of your post… “once they got the ball up court”. I think you have expanded the definition of point guard to suit your narrative.

The point guard, or in rare cases the point forward or point center, is the one who is bringing the ball up court. If Aberdeen brought the ball up the court, he was playing point. Just because Kugel may have had a role in initiating the half court set after the PG brings up the ball, that doesn’t also make him PG. I’ve watched some tape on them in high school and Kugel was not a PG. I’m not taking about randomly bringing the ball up court here and there because of game flow. I’m talking about when it is a player’s job and responsibility.

 

The main point here is that if we add a PG, I’m almost certain it would be as a backup or depth. I just don’t see how another PG fits into the lineup as a starter. It would completely upset the seemingly high priority of Coach Golden adding length and size to the roster.

Think about it. Clayton and Kugel are the presumed starters at guard. If you add another guy to play point, it moves Kugel into small forward. Then what happens to Richard? He becomes our power forward at 6’4-6’5” then we have only one true big on the floor at center? How is that the vision with all the talented front court players we added? Unless Golden is trying to make a death lineup like Golden State.

Clayton has to be our starting PG… or Kugel (which would be weird, but acceptable I guess).

 

That is true, but I don’t see how it’s relevant. You can say the same thing about Jordan and Kobe. D Wade was an all time great shooting guard, not a point guard.

Any position on your team can be your closer or main scorer. That’s not what we are talking about here.

 

Playing point on occasion does not mean you are “a” or “the” point guard. Even Jordan played point guard for a short while because of an injury to the actual point guard early in his career. I think he averaged close to a triple double during the span. That doesn’t mean MJ was a point guard. Obviously, he could have played point if asked, though.

 

I think Golden and 99.9% of coaches would take that deal as well.

 

I agree with everything you said except I believe Scottie Wilbekin was the best PG I've seen at UF. Jayson Williams might have been if his career at UF wasn't rudely interrupted by suspensions and the NBA.