The Role of the Guard

The Guard is basically the "Commander of the Court" with "playmaking" abilities. What is a Guard's most important role? A Guard's primary role is creating optimal shooting opportunities for the team.

A Guard can adeptly dribble and cut through the defense, throw quick passes to jolt the opponents out of sync, or emerge as a hero with their 3-point shots leading the team to victory.

Creating a Guard

When creating a Guard you should consider their future position plans in determining the character' height. In general, a taller player will lose steal and running abilities though they willl gain rebounding and blocking abilities. Depending on the style of guard you wish to create, you may want to make a taller or shorter character.

The Basic Attributes of the Guard

During character creation, you shouldn't focus on developing a character that is too focused on either offesne or defense. The best guards tend to be well balanced. Guards excel in scoring assists, 3-pointers, and steals. A Guards lesser abilities like steals and rebounds can also be powerful factors in a game' outcome.

Basic Guard Gameplay

On offense, try not to grab every 3-point shot opportunity you can get. Instead, make it a goal to pass the ball to other teammates for their shooting chances. On defense, closely guard your counterpart with quick moves. At the same time, target steals from behind them in order to break their dribble and play.

Offensive Gameplay

1) Position - Upon the start of the game, a Guard must help move the ball up tothe basket as swiftly and safely as possible.

2) Shoot - A Guard's best ammunition is the 3-pointer. Many people choose the Guard for their 3-point shot accuracy. A word of advice: do not overuse it, try to grab middle and 2 pt shots as well to disrupt your oppenets defense. Don't forget to pass.

3) Pass - As mentioned earlier, passing is the most fundamental and leading roles for a Guard. When strategizing your pass plays, make better scoring opportunities by moving in and out of the opponent's defense. Also, learning and applying through pass and running pass skills will be very beneficial.

4) Dribble - The most flamboyant skill of a Guard is dribbling. Aside from the basic automatic dribble, new dribbling techniques can be acquired through the Skills Shop that will bring more style to your game. For starters, do not start dribbling if the opposing defense has already come outside and is up close on you. You have the greatest risk of dropping the ball when you collide into someone who is standing still. Secondly, do not dribble in front of a defending Guard.

5) Rebound - Expect the least from a Guard when it comes to rebounding. Your guard lacks height as a result of having set up solid running and steal abilities. Comparatively, their jump and rebounding skills will be way less than the Center's and Forward's. Factors affecting rebounds are positioning, attributes, and height.

Defensive Gameplay

1) Position - Focus on defending "man-to-man." The most effective man-to-man defense involves guarding an opponent of the same position.When this occurs, play smart by momentarily defending the person in front of you. As your teammate draws closer, do a quick switch of guard roles with each other.

2) Steal - Guards have the highest starting Steal attributes of any other position. There are two methods of stealing:

• A direct steal can be done by swatting the ball out of the ball handler's hands.
• You can steal by positioning and intercepting mid-way along a long pass made by an opponent.

3) Block - When tracking an opposing Guard, make sure you strip them of every 3-point chance they get by staying as close to them as possible. However, at the same time, try not to fall for the pump fake shot..

4) Loose Ball - When the ball is loose, meaning no one has possession of it, use the Guard's special skill ability, Diving Catch. The dive and catch ability will allow you to lunge for the ball before any other player has the chance to grab it.

The Guard's Preferred Skills

A Guard's principal role is passing and scoring points but it's helpful to select the appropriate skills based on your personal gameplay style. Here are a few skills that are beneficial for playing a Guard.

Recommended Skills:

Recommended FreeStyles:

	Nimble Steal: A brutal, quick steal. This steal is much quicker than the normal steal.
	Back Turn Roll Dribble I: Dribble at a 360-degree turn to rush forward through the defense.