In the past, players were divvied up between three positions–guard, forward, and center. Lately, the distinctions were made for the former two, further dividing them into point guard, shooting guard, small forward, and power forward.
Each of these five positions is defined by a specific skillset. Here are my thoughts on those skillsets:
A point guard requires good ballhandling skills, good passing, good court vision, and a certain selflessness.
A shooting guard requires a good shot, above-average ballhandling skills, and the confidence to continue to shoot even when their shot is not falling.
A small forward should be a jack-of-all-trades with an average shot, average ballhandling, average passing, and average rebounding.
A power forward should have a decent low post game, rebound well and have a midrange shot.
A center should have a good low post game, rebound well and block shots.
Each position should defend their position well.
Usually, players are pigeon-holed to a position based on their height, rather than their skillset. Although, lately skilled players have begun to buck the trend. As an example, Kevin Durant is 6′10″; everyone would think he would be a power forward or a small forward based on his size. But, he has the skills of a guard and primarily plays in a combo guard position.
Which brings us to Stephen Jackson and the question regarding his natural position.
Jackson has average to above-average ballhandling skills. He is able to bring the ball up the court competently and drive to basket. He protects the ball well with his body on the perimeter. But, he has a tendency to use a high dribble which results in turnovers during his drives and when attacked by quick-handed theives like a Chris Paul.
Jackson is a good passer and has decent court vision. He is able to make the basic passes including the feed into the post which is something Houston would crave. He has got the lob from the sideline down to a science and he throws darts into the lane once in awhile. But, he is not as selfless as he appears. He has more of a me-first shooting mentality, although he tried to get his teammates involved this season when he was given the captain role.
Jackson has a good shot; unfortunately, he has a poor shot selection which can be seen by his low FG%. He has a tendency to jack one too many threes. But once he gets rolling, he can hit three or four in a row. An open set shot is money for him. The pull up after a dribble is not as effective. He has a tendency to go for layups when in close; but, he can dunk. I would very much like to see him take more midrange shots. He seems to be able to make those with consistency.
Jackson has the utmost confidence in his shot. When his shot does not seem to fall, he does not waver in his shooting form or his game. He continues to attack the basket in hopes of drawing fouls and shoots the ball at any opportunity, sometimes to the detriment of the team.
Jackson’s low post game is very effective, especially against the smaller guards and forwards in the league. He does not have a fadeaway ala Baron Davis. Instead, he backs the defender into the paint and spins to the left or the right to get to the bucket. I have not seen him throw up a hook shot, he scores with either a jump shot over his defender or a layup inside. He can effectively handle double teams as well, passing to a cutter down the lane or kicking it out to the perimeter. I remember all those times when he was an Indiana Pacer, he had his way with Jason Richardson in the post.
Jackson rebounds very poorly given his size. His lift off the ground is minimal when going for the ball. Usually, he gets the rebounds when the ball bounces his way. It is not abnormal to see him finish with a line with zero rebounds. He also does not seem to box out much. In fact, the Warriors team as a whole is not a fan of boxing out. The only players I have seen to consistently do so is Al Harrington and Kosta Perovic.
A block shot from Jackson comes once in a blue moon. Usually due to a swipe from behind. I have never seen him rise up in front of his defender to a block a shot.
Jackson’s defense is sound. With Don Nelson last season, Jackson had a chance to guard players of every position–T.J. Ford, Chris Bosh, Tyson Chandler, David West, Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Dirk Notwizki, etc. He is intelligent enough to know when to give ground and space dependant on the opponent he is facing. He uses his strength to push the bigger opponents out of their confort zone, making sure to do the hard work before they receive the ball.
He does not have the lateral quickness to keep up with players of similar size that are unnaturally quick like Kobe Bryant. Nor does he have the strength to stop someone like Ron Artest or David West. But, he can handle just about anyone else. An improvement I like to see in this area is face guarding on a jump shot. When defending a jump shot, Jackson usually reaches for the ball. But with his lack of hops, he will never be able to block or interfere with the shot unless the guy is a midget. He should aim to put his hand in the guy’s face to block his view of the basket.
Since Jackson has the potential to defend any position on any given night, we are unable to base his position based on his defense. He does not rebound well at all so he is certainly not a center. He has a good low post game and a midrange shot, but with Tim Duncan and David West considered the perfection of the position, I do not see Jackson as a power forward. He is a little bit selfish, looking to get his shot more than involving his teammates, so that rules out point guard.
With the center, power forward and point guard positions ruled out, we are left with shooting guard and small forward. Right off the bat, I would say Jackson’s natural position is small forward. He can do everything a coach can ask for at small forward except rebound. But, he also has all the defining characteristics of a shooting guard. He likes to shoot and he has confidence in his shot. He can slash to the basket and make his free throws.
I am going to go with shooting guard as Jackson’s natural position since he fits the skillset of a shooting guard. The other things he does can be considered icing on the cake. But, if pressed I will admit he is a swingman–a combination of SG/SF.
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