The
shooting guard (
SG), also known as the
two or
off guard, is one of the five
positions in a regulation
basketball game. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team. Some teams ask their shooting guards to bring up the ball as well; these players are known colloquially as
combo guards.
Kobe Bryant, for example, is a shooting guard who is as good a playmaker as he is a scorer; other examples of combo guards are
Jamal Crawford,
Allen Iverson,
Randy Foye,
Dwyane Wade,
James Harden and
Jason Terry. A player who can switch between playing shooting guard and
small forward is known as a
swingman. Notable swing men (also known as wing players) include
Gordon Hayward,
Andre Iguodala,
Evan Turner,
Rudy Gay,
Klay Thompson,
Jimmy Butler and
Tyreke Evans. In the
NBA, shooting guards usually range from 6' 4" (1.93 m) to 6' 7" (2.01 m).