Basketball positions

I consistently get this question:

So what position did you play in high school? You must be a point guard.

Because a point guard is known to pass first, set up the offense, be small. A shooting guard is supposed to be Rip HAmilton and a small forward is supposed to well... almost get out of the way and do everything well without the ball, a la Shawn Marion, and so on.

How did this even materialize as a concept?

http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=1190

Drew Cannon highlights the flaw in this conventional wisdom

His medecine: "So before we get to the market inefficiency inherent in the status quo, this is what a typical lineup looks like in terms of our new positions:

C: Rebounder, D5
PF: Rebounder-Scorer, D4
SF: Scorer, D3
SG: Scorer-Creator/Handler, D2
PG: Creator/Handler, D1

To be sure, players with this type of ability are no easier to find than those who slot into the "traditional" positions. But hunting down non-traditional prospects is well worth a coach's time, because these players are undervalued by the recruiting "market." These guys may be as effective as those at high-major schools, but their need to be used unconventionally means the competition for them is significantly less intense.

There’s a big gaping hole there if someone wants to walk through it."

While similar to Moneyball logic, it still sheds light on a pervasive paradigm. I say this not to nitpick over exact responsibilities of the 5 players on the floor, but to free people from the constricting discussion of positions. I had a fourteen year old kid the other day tell me he didn't want to set back screens because he was a point guard. Besides being patently false, it prevents him from working on other parts of his game (will he not rebound, or guard big guys now?) Just like in the same way big men should attend guard camps because they need to know what guards know. Basketball is 5 players coming together sharing common responsibilities. Five players who can do everything is better than 5 de facto specialists excelling at their own certain aspect, in my opinion.

I was a guard in high school. And if I had thought myself a player rather than a guard, I would have learned post moves and worked on more areas of my game.