Today’s basketball game has evolved where traditional positions have started to erode and the team has become about putting the best players on the floor and figuring out roles based on the group of players. This means the position of a player is less important than the role of the player. For instance, you can see in the NBA a 6’8 Lebron James or a 6’7 Draymond Green playing center. You have a 6’10 Ben Simmons playing point guard. These players do not fit the typical position but the roles they are able to fulfill make that position available to them.
I have identified 11 different types of players. While I have listed them in order of importance, in my opinion, that does not equate to value of a player to a team. Team leaders can be found anywhere on the list. Some of the best team leaders I have had never played a significant minute during a game. There value was in their ability to keep the team focused all together. And on that team without there leadership, the team would have completely unsuccessful. With them the team was very successful.
As a player, if you want to get more playing time then you need to try and become as many as these types of players as possible. The more of these you can become, the more valuable to the team you are. However, some players will not be able to become certain types of players. This could be due to physical limitations or personality traits. The best players are self-aware and understand their own strengths and weaknesses. You can improve your weaknesses to an advantage and when you are able to get better at a type of player then you have improved your game. That is called player development. Think of Kobe or Lebron starting to introduce a post up scoring option to their game. Even the best players in the world improve their game by getting better at a certain type.
A single player is able to fulfill all of these types of players. Just because a player starts as one type of player does not mean they can not develop into many other types of players. So here are my 11 types of players in order of importance. This is my opinion and my opinion only. Having said that you may agree or disagree. You may have a different order. I hope you enjoy this and it gives some of your own thoughts and opinions.
1) Scorer
I define a scorer as a player who scores at all three levels of the court consistently. A scorer is the most important player on a team because the game of basketball is still about scoring more points then the other team. Until this changes the scorer will continue to be the most important player a team can have. However, most players are not able to become a true scorer.
This is for two reasons. First is consistency. This means that a player can not have a bad or off night. The player is going to score his points each and every game. As a team and coach, you know the scorer is going to give you his standard point total and at times have a good night and go over that standard total.
Second, is the ability to score at all three level. A true scorer will score at the rim, at the 12-15 foot range, and with the 3-point shot. If a player can score 2 baskets at the rim, 2 from the mid-range and 2 three-pointers that is 14 points. If you add in a free throw a quarter, then that is 18 points a game. For most high school players, 18 points a game is a really good player.
Somebody that can score consistently and in a variety of ways is the most important player a team can have.
2) Lock Down Defender
On the opposite side of a scorer, I want a lockdown defender as the next player on my team. The game is about scoring points. A scorer scores points and a lock down defender helps prevent the other team from scoring. Both players accomplish the same thing. One player gives and one player takes away. The lock down defender is able to guard at least 3 positions and sometimes all 5. They are assigned to the other team’s best player every single game. The lock down defender’s job is to keep the other team’s best player from reaching their scoring average. They force the opposing team to do things they are not accustomed to doing. A lock down defender changes a game without needing to ever touch the ball.
3) Ball Handler
This is the typical point guard position. They have the ball in their hands the majority of the time. Usually the ball handler fills an additional role as well. They are invaluable when it comes time to break a press or setting up the offense. The ball handler does not turn the ball over and normally leads the team in assists.
Their single biggest job is to make sure not to turn the ball over. The second job of the ball handler is to get the ball to the correct player at the correct time. Since they are going to have the ball in their hands the majority of the time, then they need to know when to get the ball out of their hands as well. When your ball handler is also your floor general then that player has become extremely valuable to your team.
4) Floor General
The floor general is the coach on the floor. They are normally the vocal leader of the team. They will normally have a very high basketball IQ. They make sure everybody is set up in the correct spots for offense and defense. They understand the game and will understand if a player is running hot and how to get that player the next shot with the correct play.
If your ball handler is also your floor general then they become almost as important as a true scorer. A floor general can be any player and can fulfill any position. I have seen centers be excellent floor generals and I have seen true scorers be terrible floor generals.
The ability level and skill has no affect on the floor general. I have seen players with very limited skill sets play almost every minute of every game because they kept every player on the team on the same page. A floor general is able to take the scouting report and directly apply it to the game. The floor general is more about the mental aspect of the game rather then the physical.
5) Slasher
A slasher is somebody who is always working into the interior of the defense. They are consistently putting the defense in bad spots by getting into the lane. This can be done with or without the ball. This is done with the ball by using the dribble. This is done without the ball when they make cuts and their teammates delivery the ball during the cut.
With the ball a slasher scores but usually does not have the 3 point shot to become a true scorer. They score from 15 feet and in. Because they are always attacking the interior of the defense, they usually lead the team in free throw attempts.
Without the ball, the slasher is a cutter who must rely on teammates to make a good pass at the right time to be as effective as possible. However, once the ball is passed to them then the defense must shift because the ball has gotten into the interior of the defense. This puts the defense into venerable positions which normally leads to good things for the offense.
6) Creator
A creator is one spot below a slasher. The creator is a slasher with the ball in their hands. But the difference is the slasher looks to score and the creator looks to pass. With the pass the offense must now have a catch and made basket after the pass to score. Since the game is about scoring, the slasher goes ahead of the creator due to the slasher scoring and the creator assisting.
The creator is normally going to be one of the leaders in assists. If the creator is the ball handler as well then your offense will normally get a bunch of wide open looks. With the ball always in their hands then they will get the ball into good spots and then make the right pass to get a scoring chance for somebody else.
7) Shooter
The shooter is your 3 point specialist. I have them down the list because a shooter is able to be removed from the scoring column by a team if necessary. A shooter stands on the 3 point line and waits for a creator to get them the ball. However, a true shooter is easy to guard because you can limit his space and keep them from getting a shot off. A shooter can help a slasher by opening up inside space because their defender can not leave the shooter which gives the slasher more room to attack the basket.
If a shooter develops another skill like creator or ball handler then they become very hard to guard. They are no longer just staying on the 3 point line but moving inside and outside which can lead to some rubs to get the space they need for their shot.
8) Back to Basket Post Player
This position has slowly started to be removed from the game. This is a player who gets the ball around the basket with the their back to the basket. And they are able to score. The openness and spacing of today’s game has taken the back to the basket post players and made them slashers at the 8-10 foot mark. The face up game of today’s post players are changing the type of player they are. If a player does not have the face up game then they fall down here. They are reliant on teammates to get them the ball. They also need good guard play to get them the ball in the correct spots to be effective. While I think a high level back to the basket post player changes the game more then any other type of player, most post players are changing to be mid range face up players. The evolution of the game has dropped the importance of this player from where it was 20 years ago.
9) Post Defender/Rim Protector
With the post player becoming less seen, the post defender is stuck without a player to guard. If a post defender can not defend away from the basket then they can only play when the opposing team has a post player. You see this in the NBA where centers are limited in minutes when they play certain teams that play small ball. This leads to the drop in importance because the post defender may not be able to play every game.
Morphing the post defender into a rim protector helps this type of player but only so much. A rim protector must be able to block shots or at least alter shots. Shot blocking requires good timing and some players have the timing and others do not. If a rim protector can not guard away from the basket then the defense must adjust to keep them on the floor or the offense will always have that advantage on the rim protector being away from the basket.
On the right team a rim protector becomes an invaluable piece. If a team presses, or traps, or runs a very high half court pressure then the rim protector can be at the rim cleaning up any messes. This gives the other four players even more confidence to go after traps and steals because the rim protector cleans up if they gamble wrong. The rim protector is great in some systems but it has to be in a certain situation.
10) Garbage Man
A garbage man is somebody who does all the little things that most players do not want to do. This type of player sets screens, rebounds, boxes out, and takes care of the ball. Depending on the player and the team, the list of responsibilities may grow or shrink. The garbage man does not change the game plan of the opposing team, however, they are able to have great games and change the outcome of the game. Garbage men have the ability to score a bunch of points by getting offensive rebound putbacks. While they are not going to draw opposing teams defensive adjustments, when they do have their career nights then you are normally going to win that game. A garbage man may help you win games but a garbage is usually never the one to blame when a loss occurs. These players are a blast to coach because they will do whatever you ask them with full effort but never complain.
11) Effort Player
The difference between the effort player and the garbage man is the level of skill. A garbage man has some skill even though it is not much. An effort player has very little or no skill. They have to play at 100% maximum effort all the time. This player will normally be a practice player only. They are able to create energy and effort by how hard they work. While they will not normally play in games, they can be used every once in a while to bring energy to a team who has none. Energy and effort are contiguous and the effort player can bring both to a team during a game. I have seen an effort player come into a game, get a rebound, dive on a loose ball and take a charge all within 2 minutes of play. That 2 minutes changed the entire game.
Hopefully the players that start at one of the types higher up on the list play with effort without having to be told. The effort man should be filled by every player on the team.
Conclusion
Teams may have only 4 or 5 types of players on there team. They may have every role filled. These are the 11 different types of players in my opinion. I hope this may give you some thought or some debate as to if I have forgotten a type or I do not have the types in the correct order.
