Swingman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (March 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Basic Basketball positions
Point guard
Shooting guard
Small forward
Power forward
Center
Additional positions
Swingman
Point forward
Tweener
Forward-center This box: view • talk • edit

Swingman is a basketball term denoting a player who can play both the small forward and shooting guard positions; and, in essence, swing between the shooting guard and small forward positions.

The "swingman" concept first came into vogue in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when star players such as George "Iceman" Gervin defied traditional pigeonholing into the 2 or 3 position.^{[citation needed]} The best swingmen use their "in-between" height and athleticism to exploit defensive mismatches: they will run past bigger players, and post up or shoot over smaller players.

Some swingmen have been known to play both the small forward and shooting guard position effectively, having the size and strength to play the small forward position, as well as the outside jumpshot and quickness to play the shooting guard position. These swingmen prove to cause match-up problems and to be very difficult to guard.

Today, several prominent players in the NBA switch between small forward and shooting guard. Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Michael Finley, Paul Pierce and Jerry Stackhouse (among others) have spent considerable time at both positions.