Small forwards: position, role and the meaning of star quality

In order to describe the odd predicament that modern Euroleague small forwards often find themselves in, a few clips of Panathinaikos’ latest signing in that position can be quite helpful:

Playing for Panionios, an upper echelon Greek League team and a below average Eurocup team, Vladimir Jankovic was calling the shots on quite a few possessions. A very reliable ball handler for his position, he would be the first option on many pick and roll sets, getting to the basket himself, finding the roll man, or spotting the open shooter on the weak side. This sort of skill set could help Panathinaikos. who wouldn’t mind seeing a little more creativity from their wings. He might even play as shooting guard, posting up against smaller opponents. In all likelihood, however, Jankovic will have to adjust to a drastically limited role.

There used to be a time when point guards would bring the ball upcourt, hand it over to their small forward and get out of the way. Such legends as Toni Kukoc, Zarko Paspalj, Arturas Karnisovas and even Michael Young (Limoges championship run circa 1993) would make the most of their size, shooting touch and/or playmaking instincts on iso sets. Not much fuss was being made over spacing, as they could simply make plays over the defense. The point forward tendencies of Dejan Bodiroga and Hedo Turkoglu, among others, kept that proud European tradition alive into the 00’s. Then along came the pick and roll and everything changed.

As it became more and more obvious that with smaller, quicker guards on the ball the two-man game was more effective and help defense would turn into a rather complicated affair, small forwards started moving toward the weak side. Today, they have more open threes at their disposal and can cut toward the hoop facing less resistance than ‘before’. But if they want to put the ball on the floor, they have less time on the shot clock and less space on the floor. Simply put, Jankovic will have to consistently make his threes off Diamantidis/Ukic/Curry pick and rolls, hit the offensive glass (which he can do pretty effectively) and channel his creative instincts on such plays as the one on the 2:20’’ or the 2:31 mark of the above video: from the wing, as a secondary ball handler, after the defense has moved.

Since the 23-year old Greek forward had more turnovers than assists in six Eurocup games, this might not be such a bad idea. He could also develop into an efficient finisher thanks to his athleticism. Other forwards, though, still adhere to that idealistic notion of small forwards at the epicenter of their team’s offense. Nemanja Bjelica appears to be one of those romantic souls. After signing with Caja Laboral as the next great point forward, Bjelica struggled to fit in Dusko Ivanovic’s playbook before finding his niche as a power forward. Despite his continued improvement, however ,it appears that the Serbian all-arounder still fancies himself as a perimeter player.

According to Jon de la Presa, Bjelica would like to return to his Crvena Zvezda days, playing the three, handling the ball more and acting more as a playmaker, as opposed to a release option when the initial pick and roll action is contained. But even without taking defense into account, Bjelica should understand by now that position and role are two very different things:

Here we see Bjelica handling the ball all over the floor; moving without it in half court; taking open threes; and making plays – for himself and others – in delayed transition or with the defense set. In short, he does whatever he pleases even though he doesn’t play the position he likes. Pick and roll basketball has led to a division between position and role. Spacing and ball movement are more important that the area of the floor players find themselves in when a play is set into motion.

Then again, even when spacing and ball movement are taken care of, Fenerbahce will still need a primary ball handler to take advantage of these conditions. With Milos Teodosic staying at CSKA and Nick Calathes set to sign with the Memphis Grizzlies, the market for guards who can fill that role has become quite limited and perhaps too risky. This is where a well-connected scouting network comes in handy. But if the Turkish team doesn’t find the guard it looks for, the aforementioned distinction between position and role could help them find a way around this issue.

Over the past few seasons, a particular type of guard has emerged as a pretty valuable asset for Euroleague teams – Vangelis Mantzaris, John Goldsberry and Victor Sada have made a name for themselves by playing great defense, getting their teams into their sets, thus allowing the primary ball handler to focus on his creative tasks, and, ideally, hitting their threes. Fener could trust the primary ball handler role to one of their many gifted forwards. Baris Ermis could be the other guard, provided he improves his shooting. There are risks involved (Emir Preldzic’s inconsistency, Bjelica’s lack of Euroleague experience in that role, Bojan Bogdanovic’s shoot-first tendencies), but if they add a point guard in the mold of the gentlemen described above, such a division of labour could pay dividends. In any case, Fenerbahce would benefit greatly by having all five guys contribute to their offensive structure, instead of relying on that one guy to build it. And don’t forget, Bo McCalebb, one of the premier scorers in Europe, could be one of those guys.

On defense, the Jankovic video is more indicative of the reality small forwards are facing. On the ball defense remains significant, but their skills as help defenders – checking on the roll man and getting back to their man, taking away passing lanes, buying time for the hedging big man – is perhaps more valuable. Jankovic could stand to improve on both areas (notice how he is beaten on the post by Kaimakoglou; doesn’t read screens well; allows backdoor cuts; does not rotate deep enough on a Vereemenko dunk) and has the physical tools (quickness, vertical, hands) to do so. But those clips, combined with the job description of a small forward within a pick and roll set, help explain the concept of the star role player, a term coined by Rafal Juc.

With small forwards getting accustomed to life on the weak side, their value – or star quality – needs to be measured in a different way. Their main mission is to create space with their shooting, take advantage of space with their cuts toward the rim and take away space with their help defense. Kostas Papanikolaou, a very limited shot creator, can excel in all three areas. Barcelona paid a 1,5 million euros buy out to Olympiacos in order to get their star role player.

The Catalan side are hopeful that Papanikolaou (a 41,7% from beyond the arc in the past two Euroleague and Greek League seasons) will help them get over last season’s shooting inconsistencies, while replacing Pete Mickeal’s help-and-recover mastery and off-the-ball movement. Are these skills worth so much money? That’s not an easy question to answer (especially considering the possibility that Barcelona could get part of that sum back via an NBA buyout), but it does help emphasize the importance of what’s going on away from the ball.

Other teams seem to get that as well. Anadolu Efes are hoping that Scotty Hopson will replace Sasha Vujacic’s defensive and shooting contributions at a fraction of the price, while also adding quality finishes to their transition game. Olympiacos seem set to replace K-Pap with Matt Lojeski, banking on his shooting, rebounding and ability to put the ball on the floor once defenders close out effectively, while hoping that his limited effectiveness as an undersized help defender will not become a big issue. CSKA can go a million different directions with their forwards rotation. Galataray retained Henry Domerkant and Manuchar Markoishvili and Cenk Akyol mainly for their shooting and defense (even though Manu is not exactly a lock down defender). Real Madrid believe that Tremmell Darden will be more effective on the post and quicker on his feet than Carlos Suarez.

The point forward potential in Fener’s roster, or Rudy Fernandez’s wizardry when moved at the three, will be the exception when it comes to the role of small forwards. But that doesn’t mean that their value will be diminished.