Have Ferocious Tenacity

Master the Dribble

It goes without saying, but a great point guard needs to be in complete control of his dribble. The ball should be an extension of the player himself. You should master all of the dribbling moves in the Ball Handling Moves section of the site.

Lead in practice

Great point guards get their teams prepared psychologically for practice and for games. They know which players need to be provoked to pick up intensity or concentration and which ones are excitable and need to be calmed.

Assists

Great point guards seldom turn the ball over due to pressure, and when they deliver a pass to a teammate it is to a point closest to the best position from which their teammate can score. Not occasionally, but virtually every single time.

Talk on defense

Great point guards talk constantly on defense helping their teammates to recognize potentially dangerous points of attack by their opponent. They keep their focus throughout the course of a game, and pay attention to details at nearly all times.

Situations

Great point guards pay attention to situational advantages such as on the free throw line, during jump balls, or just during the flow of the game. For example, when an attacking team has a penetrating guard with no one getting back for defensive balance, they know to attack hard and quick on the counter fast break.

See the Floor

Great point guards always have their head up and maintain full court vision at all times. They do not see one opponent or blocks of 2 or 3, they see all 10 players on the court, and understand the relationship of each by positioning.

Communicate

Great point guards quickly and clearly communicate play calls or changes both in the open court and on dead ball situations. They also have the ability to quickly organize a team after an offensive pattern breakdown.

Tempo

Great point guards know their own team´s optimal tempo for both offense, defense, and in transition. They know when to speed the tempo up or slow it down.

Team philosophy

Great point guards understand completely a coach´s (and therefore the team´s) playing philosophy from top to bottom and every ounce of energy and effort is put forth to execute that philosophy. I have seen good guards who are great physically who constantly break out of the team philosophy creating confusion over the team´s offensive and defensive goals. Great guards understand you cannot win if all the oarsmen are not rowing in the same direction.

Know Your Scorers

Great point guards not only know who can score, but also where they are most effective on the court. Your job is to put your teammates in positions where they can be successful.

Open Shot

Great point guards do not shoot every time they are open but can knock down the shot any time they are open.