People that watch or play basketball often will hear teammates, coaches and broadcasters refer to the “wing” throughout the game. While some people automatically think of the “wing” as a player, others think of the “wing” as a specific area on the court.
Don’t worry, we’re going to debunk the confusion surrounding this basketball term once and for all!
So, what is the wing in basketball?
The wing in basketball refers to one of two things – an area on the court or a player’s position. On the court, it’s the outer area of the court along the sidelines. As far as the position, it refers to the shooting guard and small forward.
That might be enough to end the confusion for some people, but it doesn’t give too much detail for those that are new to the game of basketball. To help you get a clearer idea of what the wing is in basketball, we’ll discuss more about the different positions and where they do a majority of their work.
Let’s get started!
Where Is the Wing on a Basketball Court?
As we discussed prior, the wing on a court refers to the outer edge of the court (while still inbounds). Imagine if the paint area ran from baseline to baseline, instead of stopping at the free-throw line — the wing area would be everything on the court that’s not painted.
Technically, there are two areas on the court that are referred to as the wing — the traditional wing and the full-court wing. Both of them are correct interpretations, but it’s a big reason why there’s so much confusion over this part of the court.
The full-court wing is what we described above. It runs baseline to baseline and covers the outer edge of the court. On the other hand, the traditional wing refers to a specific area on the court.
If you were to draw a circle outside of the free-throw line and make it large enough to cover the 3 point line, that’s your traditional wing area.
Now, draw this circle on both sides of the charity line and on both sides of the court. There should be a total of four wing areas.
To help you distinguish between the two, it’s best to call the full-court wing an area and the traditional wing a spot. You’ll have the wing area and wing spots on the court.
Shooting Guard’s Role and Responsibility in Basketball
Now that we’ve gone over the wing areas and wing spots on the court, it’s time to go over the other end of the spectrum — the wing players. The first one we’ll discuss is the shooting guard (SG), which is commonly referred to as the SG, the 2 guard or the off guard.
Although the game has evolved throughout history, the SG was typically a smaller player compared to the forwards and center.
As you might’ve guessed, they spend the majority of their time in the wing area and become the point guard’s (PG) best friend on the court.
Where the PG’s main responsibility is to set other players up, the SG’s main responsibility is to be open and score.
That’s not to say a SG can’t do other things like pass, rebound or play defense, but that’s what’ll separate a great SG from an amateur one.
What Skills Are Needed to play Shooting Guard?
To be an efficient SG, you’ll need a variety of skills because your coach and teammates are going to rely on you in certain situations. If you’re not prepared and trained for those situations, it’ll be difficult to play the position properly.
Here’s a list of the most prominent skills needed at the SG position:
- Long-Range Shooting – much like the name suggests, the SG will typically be the best shooter on the team. They do a majority of their work on the wing, so shooting from behind the 3 point line is essential.
- Off-the-Ball – PGs are going to handle a majority of the ball-handling up the court, but the SG will do a majority of their damage off-the-ball. You need to know how to strategically move without the ball to get open for a shot.
- Shot Fake – the shot fake is critical for the SG because most defenders you’re pinned up against will expect you to shoot. This makes it easy to fake them out and take the ball to the lane for a layup or assist.
Of course, the best SGs will also focus on their defensive game and won’t neglect working on their ability to dribble with the ball. When the point guard isn’t available, it’ll likely be the SG bringing the ball up the court.
How Do You Succeed as a Shooting Guard?
Working on the skills listed above will give any SG a solid foundation to rely on each and every game. Unfortunately, those skills won’t do players any good if they don’t know how to utilize those skills in a real game.
To do this, you need to have the right mentality to compliment those skills. Below, we’re going to discuss three mindsets every SG should have when out on the basketball court:
- Confidence – a SG will often hear their coach and teammates tell them “keep shooting”, even if your shot hasn’t been finding the bottom of the net. True SGs are unphased by a miss and always come back with even more fire.
- Visualization – since the SG will do most of their damage without the ball in their hands, being able to visualize everything that’s happening in front of you is essential. Every move you make is crucial to the move your teammates make.
- Patience – SGs have to keep in mind that the PG is running the show and the small forward (SF) will often get the most attention. If you’re the Robin to someone’s Batman, embrace it because you’ll get your chance to shine.
Having the right mentality is important, but this mentality needs to be utilized in both games and practice. Remember, practice is where you master these things — games are where you display them.
Small Forward’s Role and Responsibility in Basketball
Now that we understand the SG’s role and responsibility on a basketball team, let’s shift our focus over to the small forward position — commonly referred to as the SF or 3. They are one of two forwards on the court, with the other one being the power forward.
Looking at basketball’s landscape in today’s modern world, the SF has become one of the most prominent, sought-after and celebrated positions in basketball.
Along with the point guard, they are typically the highest-paid and consist of some of the most versatile players in the game.
Much like the SG, they do a majority of their work off-the-ball and on the wing. Over the past few decades, however, this position has often been seen acting as a PG or even as a big man.
Again, versatility is key for this position.
What Skills Are Needed to play Small Forward?
When looking at the SF position, no player will be asked to do more on the court than them. They are generally the leaders on the team and hold a powerful voice in the locker room. You’ll often see them matched up with the opposing team’s best player.
Let’s take a look at the three most prominent skills needed to be a SF in today’s game:
- Defense – the SF is the only player on the court that’s expected to guard every position, including the PG, SG, SF, PF and C. Knowing how to guard them all is crucial to the SF position and you will often be matched up against the best players.
- Driving – strength and ball-handling skills are another major part of being a SF. In today’s game, you are looked at as a bigger PG and that means being able to take the ball to the rim. Do in the paint what the PG does outside the paint.
- Basketball IQ – often seen as the leader on the team, the SF generally has to have a high basketball IQ. They need to make the right decisions, they need to move off the ball, they need to visualize and they need to know when to score or when to pass.
Small forwards are asked to do a lot, but that’s why they get paid the big bucks. In today’s modern world, a SF who can’t lead the team will often find themselves on the bench or in a role player position.
To sum the SF position up — you better be good at everything, but great at something (ideally, multiple things).
How Do You Succeed as a Small Forward?
Much like you need a certain set of skills to be a powerful SF, you also need the right mentality. You have to see the game a certain way, practice a certain way, carry yourself in a certain manner and you need to turn heads when you’re on the court.
Here’s a list of the three most important mentalities you need to be a SF in today’s game:
- Aggressive – not so much in a violent way, but in a way that shows the other team that you’re not to be messed with. When you dribble, you dribble with affection. When you drive, defenders would rather get out of the way.
- Alpha Leader – your teammates look at you when things go south. They follow you, they listen to you, and you know you have their trust. Don’t be afraid to lead your team to greatness, most of your teammates are going to need it.
- Work Ethic – as a leader, it’s important to lead by example and the easiest way to do that is with an extremely relentless work ethic. When you step in the gym or on the court, everyone’s looking at you because they want to see how it’s done.
When you think of a SF, think of LeBron James because he’s the epitome of what a SF is in today’s game.
He guards any position, plays any position, sees everything, communicates, leads, shoots, drives, posts up, dunks, rebounds, passes — he does it all and doesn’t wait for anyone.
Along with the SG, having a powerful SF on your team is an excellent way to secure the wing and spread the floor throughout the game. You’ll be able to attack your opponents from all angles.