Tweener (basketball)

A tweener in basketball is a term, sometimes used derisively, for a player who is able to play two positions, but is not ideally suited to play either position exclusively, so he/she is said to be in between. A tweener has a set of skills that do not match the traditional position of his physical stature.

NBA.com's definition of "tweener" is as follows:

"This word is derived from the word "between", as in a player is between the height of a guard and a forward. "Tweeners" often have the skills of a big man, but the height of a guard. Though only six foot five, Charles Barkley, a tweener, was one of the NBA's greatest rebounding power forwards."

A player who is ideally suited to play two positions is sometimes referred to as a swingman, although that term is more commonly reserved specifically for those who are suited to play small forward and shooting guard.

Power forward / center (forward-center)

This tweener has the skills of either a center or a power forward, but is usually stronger than traditional power forwards and quicker and often more skilled than traditional centers. Many times C/PF tweeners are used to create match-up problems. Amar'e Stoudemire is an example of a tweener. Other prominent NBA players who switch between power forward and center are Jermaine O'Neal, Emeka Okafor, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, and Chris Bosh, among others. A good example of such a Euroleague player is Mike Batiste.

Small forward / power forward (combo forward or cornerman)

Traditionally, a PF/SF tweener refers to a basketball player whose physical attributes and skills render him/her unsuited to play either the power forward position or the small forward position exclusively. For example the player may be too short, or lack sufficient strength, to play power forward effectively; while being not quick or athletic enough, or perhaps lack proper ball handling skills and/or shooting skills to play the small forward position. On the other hand, the player may have the skills to play either forward position, but do not necessarily fit either of them exclusively. They can be too big for most opposing small forwards to guard them and have a skill set that small forwards traditionally have (ex. outside scoring ability).

Some examples in the NBA are Antoine Walker, Lamar Odom, Rashard Lewis, Antawn Jamison, Boris Diaw, Gerald Wallace, Craig Smith, Marcus Fizer, and Al Harrington. Typical examples of European combo forwards with careers on both sides of the Atlantic are the retired Toni Kukoc and the currently active Andrei Kirilenko. A good example of such a player in the Euroleague is Panayiotis Vasilopoulos, just like Fragiskos Alvertis used to be during his playing years with Panathinaikos BC. Perhaps the archetypal "cornerman" in women's basketball is Candace Parker, who was listed on the roster of her college team as a center, forward, and guard.

Shooting guard / small forward (guard-forward)

This tweener isn't suited to exclusively play either at small forward or shooting guard. For example, he may be too short to play small forward, but lacks a guard's jumper or ball-handling skills to play the two-man. To counter this, this tweener could play as a swingman.

Some swingmen have been known to play both the small forward and shooting guard position effectively, having the size and strength to play the small forward position, as well as the outside jump shot and quickness to play the shooting guard position. These tweeners are known to cause match up problems, and have proven to be very difficult to guard. Such NBA players are Lebron James, Josh Howard, Jason Richardson, Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Vince Carter, Shane Battier, and Tracy McGrady. A good such example for a Euroleague player is Ramunas Siskauskas.

Shooting guard / point guard (combo guard)

"Tweener" may also describe a player who combines the attributes of a shooting guard and point guard, but does not fit the prototype of either position. Such guards usually play a shooting-guard-type game (looking more to score than to pass) but lack the height to guard opposing shooting guards effectively and some of the skills to direct an offense that a "pure" point would display. Such players are also known as "combination (or combo) guards". But after the success of Dwyane Wade during the 2004-05 NBA season, there has been less of a stigma attached to the term and many current elite prospects are combo guards, such as Randy Foye, Eric Gordon, O. J. Mayo, and Russell Westbrook. Most commonly, shooting guards are called "tweeners" when considered too short for NBA-level starting competition at the position. This generally is applied to shooting guards that are 6'4" and below in height. Conversely, they are unable to play point guard successfully at the highest level of professional basketball due to a lack of the mental specialization and understanding of the game that this position requires. These players are often referred to as being "a shooting guard trapped in a point guard's body." Some good examples of this are Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, Delonte West, Monta Ellis, Gilbert Arenas, Jason Terry, Ben Gordon, Jamal Crawford, Juan Dixon, Steve Francis, Eddie House, John Paxson, Steve Kerr, Danny Ainge, Aaron Brooks and Luther Head. This is in stark contrast to pass-first type point guards who traditionally play the position such as Jason Kidd, Andre Miller, Deron Williams and Steve Nash, among others.

There are also the rarer type of combo guards that are able to play both back court positions almost interchangeably because of a unique ability to play each position equally well. Such players are generally a bit shorter than the average shooting guard but are equal to other players at the position in terms of strength and athletic ability. While they are also generally bigger and stronger than most point guards, yet still have the ball handling, passing and play making skills of points. They may be forced at times to play as a point guard on the defensive end if they have to guard a bigger than average shooting guard on defense in the low post. They also may be forced at times to play as a shooting guard on offense because of the nature of their offensive style of game lending itself to a propensity to commit turnovers.

They possess both good scoring and play making ability. They dominate the ball and often play as a primary ball handler, much like a point guard, but typically they prefer to attack on the offensive end to either score a bucket or break down the defense in order to pass. This is in contrast to a pure point guard that looks to run the set offense at all times. However, if need be they can also play in the mode of a pass first point guard. Dwyane Wade is an NBA combo guard of this type, being able to play as a pass first guard and also having the abilities of a pure shooting guard, because he can play both positions effectively . A great example of this particular type of combo guard in the Euroleague is Vasileios Spanoulis.

Point forward

Some NBA players, most notably players like Scottie Pippen, Grant Hill, Lamar Odom, Stephen Jackson, Hedo Turkoglu and LeBron James possess the size, strength and rebounding skills to play a forward position, yet they also have the passing and ball-handling skills, along with the "basketball IQ" to perform at the point guard position. These players often cause match up problems on both ends of the court, because while the tall, strong point forward can dominate a traditional point guard on the offensive end of the court, he is sometimes at a disadvantage on the defensive end against smaller, quicker guards.

When Jamont Gordon, now playing with Cibona in Croatia and the Euroleague, was in college at Mississippi State, he was occasionally described as "a linebacker playing point guard." Theo Papaloukas is another excellent example of a Euroleague point forward.