Tweener (basketball)
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A tweener in basketball is a term, sometimes used derisively, for a player who is able to play two positions, but is not ideally suited to play either position exclusively, so he/she is said to be in between. This term is most commonly used only at the highest level of basketball competition, where players must combine extreme physical talent with specialised basketball abilities. A tweener has a set of skills that does not match the traditional position of his physical stature.
NBA.com's definition of 'tweener is as follows:
- "This word is derived from the word "between", as in a player is between the height of a guard and a forward. "Tweeners" often have the skills of a big man, but the height of a guard. Though only six foot five, Charles Barkley, a tweener, was one of the NBA's greatest rebounding power forwards."
A player who is ideally suited to play two positions is often referred to as a swingman.
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[edit] Power Forward/Center (Forward-Center)
- See also: Forward-center
This tweener has the skills of either a center or a power forward but is usually stronger than traditional power forward and quicker than traditional centers. Many times C/PF tweeners are used to create match-up problems. Amare Stoudemire is an example of such a player. Other prominent players who switch between power forward and center are Jermaine O'Neal, Emeka Okafor, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, and Dwight Howard, among others.
[edit] Small Forward/Power Forward (combo forward)
Traditionally a PF/SF tweener refers to a basketball player whose physical attributes and skills render him/her unsuited to play either the power forward position or the small forward position. For example the player may be too short, or lack sufficient strength, to play power forward effectively; while being not quick or athletic enough to play the small forward position. Some examples are Antoine Walker, Lamar Odom, Antawn Jamison, Boris Diaw, Gerald Wallace, Marcus Fizer, and Al Harrington. They have the skills to play either forward position, but do not necessarily fit either forward position exclusively. They can be too big for most opposing small forwards to guard them and have a skill set that small forwards traditionally have (ex. outside scoring ability). Typical examples of European combo forwards are the retired Toni Kukoc and the currently active Andrei Kirilenko.
[edit] Shooting Guard/ Small Forward (Guard-Forward)
- See also: Swingman
This tweener isn't suited to exclusively play either small forward or shooting guard. For example, he may be too short to play small forward, but lacks a guard's jumper or ball-handling skills to play the two-man. To counter this, this tweener could play as a swingman.
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 jump shot and quickness to play the shooting guard position. These tweeners are known to cause matchup problems, and have proven to be very difficult to guard. Such players are Josh Howard, Jason Richardson, Kobe Bryant, and Tracy McGrady.
[edit] Shooting Guard / Point Guard (combo guard)
"Tweener" may also describe a player who combines the attributes of a shooting guard and point guard but does not fit the prototype of either position. Such guards usually play a shooting-guard-type game (looking more to score than to pass) but lack the height to guard opposing shooting guards and the skills to direct an offense that a "pure" point would display. Such players are also known as "combination (combo) guards". But after the success of Dwyane Wade during the 2004-05 season, there has been less stigma attached to the term and many current elite prospects are combo guards (Randy Foye, Eric Gordon, O.J. Mayo, Jerryd Bayless).
Most commonly, shooting guards are called 'tweeners' when considered too short for NBA-level competition. Conversely, they are unable to play point guard successfully at the highest level of professional basketball due to a lack of the mental specialization and understanding of the game that this position requires. These players are often referred to as being "a shooting guard trapped in a point guard's body." Some good examples of this are Allen Iverson, Gilbert Arenas, Baron Davis, Jason Terry, Ben Gordon, Juan Dixon, Steve Francis, Eddie House, John Paxson, Steve Kerr, Danny Ainge, and Luther Head. This is in stark contrast to pass-first type point guards who traditionally play the position such as Jamaal Tinsley, Jason Kidd, Andre Miller and Steve Nash among others. A great example of a European combo guard is Panathinaikos' Vasileios Spanoulis. Dwyane Wade is also a combo guard, despite being a pass first guard and also being a shooting guard.
[edit] Point Forward
Some players, notably Magic Johnson, possess the size and strength to play a forward position, yet also have the passing and ball-handling skills along with the "basketball IQ" to perform at the point guard position. These players often cause matchup problems on both ends of the court, because while the tall, strong point forward can dominate a traditional point guard on the offense end of the court, he is sometimes at a disadvantage on the defense end against smaller, quicker guards.
Mississippi State University's Jamont Gordon is a collegiate example of a point forward, and has been referred to as "a linebacker playing point guard."
| Guards |  |
1. Point guard | Combo Guard (PG/SG) | |
| 2. Shooting guard | Swingman (SG/SF) | |||
| Forwards | 3. Small forward | |||
| 4. Power forward | Point forward (PG/PF) | |||
| Center | 5. Center | Forward-center (PF/C) | ||
| Captain | Head coach | Referees and officials | ||||
