Traditionally, the five
basketball positions normally employed by organized
basketball teams were the guards, forwards, and the center. While these position names are still used, most modern teams use a point guard, two wings, and two post players, or use no specific positions at all. In order to make sense of the changes in the positional rules, five separate positions are now described:
point guard (PG),
shooting guard (SG),
small forward (SF),
power forward (PF), and
center (C). The
rules of basketball do not mandate them, and they are sometimes not used. Indeed, it could be said that the designation of positions is done more to satisfy broadcasters and fans than for coaches or players, and many top coaches, including Olympic coach
Mike Krzyzewski choose to ignore positions altogether.