is known for his ability as a "spot up" shooter. During his tenure with the
Golden State Warriors, plays were often drawn to get Thompson open on a "catch and shoot"
three-point shot.
The Basketball Handbook by
Lee Rose describes a shooting guard as a player whose primary role is to score points. As the name suggests, most shooting guards are good long-range shooters, typically averaging 35–40 percent from
three-point range. Many shooting guards are also strong and athletic, and have the ability to get
inside the paint and drive to the basket. Typically, shooting guards are taller than
point guards. Height at the position varies; many bigger shooting guards also play
small forward. Shooting guards should be good ball handlers and be able to pass reasonably well, though passing is not their main priority. Since good shooting guards may attract double-teams, they are frequently the team's back-up ball handlers to the
point guard and typically get a fair number of
assists. Shooting guards must be able to score in various ways, especially late in a close game when defenses are tighter. They must have a high
free throw percentage too, to be reliable in close games and discourage opposing players from fouling them. Because of the high level of offensive skills shooting guards need, they are often a team's primary scoring option, and sometimes the offense is built around them. In the NBA, there are some shooting guards referred to as "3 and D" players. The term 3 and D implies that the player is a good 3 point shooter who can also play effective defense. The 3 and D player has become very important as the game sways to be perimeter oriented. Good shooting guards can often play point guard to a certain extent. It is usually accepted that point guards should have the ball in their hands at most times in the game, but sometimes the shooting guard has a significant enough influence on the team to handle the ball extremely often, to the point that the point guard may be reduced to a backup ball handler or a spot-up shooter, a player who "spots-up" for catch-and-shoot shots to provide spacing for the offense. Notable shooting guards include
Michael Jordan,
Kobe Bryant,
Dwyane Wade,
Manu Ginobili,
James Harden,
Klay Thompson,
Tracy McGrady,
Joe Dumars,
Clyde Drexler,
Jerry West,
Sam Jones,
Donovan Mitchell,
Allen Iverson, and
Anthony Edwards in the NBA and
Diana Taurasi,
Jewell Loyd,
Seimone Augustus,
Cynthia Cooper, and
Cappie Pondexter in the WNBA. == Skills and qualities ==