Invisible mismatches! Those players in atypical positions!

Basketball is a sport that has always focused on physical advantages. The taller ones grab rebounds, the shorter ones handle the ball, the stronger ones carry the inside, and the faster ones play outside. This seems to have become an implicit iron rule.

So there are five familiar positions on the court:

Point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, and center.

And in the NBA, which is the highest stage, this kind of "division of labor according to body size" thinking is even more deeply ingrained. Centers are usually tallest, point guards are often the shortest, power forwards are muscular, and small forwards and shooting guards are mobile. Under this stereotype, even some players have some strategies when reporting their height. For example, Garnett reported his height to be shorter in order to play power forward; while Durant is obviously taller than a center, but insists that he is only a height of 3 or 4.

Different positions also mean different tactical role expectations. But basketball is constantly evolving and will never stop completely in textbooks. Since the small ball revolution, the traditional "height + position" logic has begun to collapse. Space, speed, defense changes, and projection are all new concepts that subvert the old order.

As a result, a group of outliers appeared in the NBA.

Magic Johnson, Luka Doncic

In traditional wisdom, the team's point guard should be the shortest person on the team. Because a low center of gravity is conducive to ball control, direction changes, and breakthroughs, this seems to be the consensus of the basketball system. But in every era, there are always one or two talented players who break the rules.

In the 1980s, Magic Johnson emerged as a tall point guard with a height of 206 centimeters. He relied on his game vision and passing talent to lead the Lakers into the Showtime era. He can run and pass without looking at anyone during the fast break, making the defender not know where to look. What's even more exaggerated is that in the 1980 Finals, the Lakers lacked center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Magic occupied the fifth position. As a result, he scored 42 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists. He was only 20 years old that year and became the youngest FMVP in NBA history.

Forty years later, Doncic replicated this high point guard model in the NBA. Doncic, who is 1.9cm tall, is a forward-shaped commander who can handle the ball, post up, and pass and shoot. When faced with defenders who are a head shorter than him, he can crush them with strength. When encountering double teams, he can also use his vision to tear apart the defense. With his all-encompassing style of play, he can be called the successor of the Magician in modern basketball.

However, unlike Magic's comprehensiveness, Doncic still has shortcomings. If he can reach another level defensively in the future, he may truly become the superstar who single-handedly rewrites the definition of his position.

Larry Johnson, Draymond Green

What is your first reaction when you mention the insider?

"Tall, strong, frame protector, rebounder, finisher."

But there are always some people in NBA history who are not tall, but can make a difference in the penalty area.

Larry Johnson is one of them. He is only 201 centimeters tall, which is even shorter than many shooting guards today. But he can fight, shoot, and pass, and he relies on strength and skills to make a name for himself in the paint. He led the team to sweep Duke in college, and after entering the NBA, he won the No. 1 pick in a high-profile manner. He once became a symbol of the rise of the Hornets era. Even though he was later plagued by injuries, he was still the backbone of the team during his years with the Knicks, and eventually staged a black eight miracle.

More time later, another insider who suffered from a height disadvantage appeared: Draymond Green.

At 198 centimeters, he was questioned by many people in the early days, but Cole's Warriors system gave him a stage. Focusing on defensive support and offensive and defensive communication, it breaks the definition of traditional power forward. In 2015, Green became the offensive and defensive centerpiece of the Warriors dynasty, and with his help, the five small lineups became a whirlwind that overturned the entire league. This small insider has also proven a lot: height is indeed important, but golf intelligence, defensive awareness and team chemistry can also win.

Of course, not every stocky forward can succeed. Bennett, the No. 1 pick in 2013, is a typical negative case. This path requires not only toughness, but also versatility.

Rashard Lewis, Tobias Harris

There is another type of player who is too slow to play the third position and too soft to play the fourth position. Their presence is awkward, but in certain systems they can be a deadly weapon.

Lewis is the representative figure of this ambiguous position. Although he is 2.09cm tall, he prefers to float outside the three-point line. His career three-point shooting rate is 38.6%, and his career total number of field goals exceeds 1,700. He is a typical space forward of the era. During the Magic period, the duo formed by him and Turkoglu, this tall and flexible combination, coupled with Howard's frame protection, once allowed the Magic to land in the Finals. This team can vaguely be called a preview of the small ball era.

As for Tobias Harris, looking back at the peak of his career, he can be called a post-era version of Lewis.

With a height of 2.01cm, he has excellent strength and diverse offense. The only thing he has been criticized on the defensive end. He can't defend him when he plays small forward, and he can't handle it when he plays power forward. This is why he is labeled as "neither three nor four". But on the optimistic side, Harris still relies on stable mid-range and outside firepower to forcefully establish his position in the league.

Looking back at his peak stage, from the Pistons to the Clippers, and even to the early 76ers, he has been the team's insurance link many times. Although not flashy enough, he is practical enough.

For these heterogeneous players, they all have one thing in common: they do not play according to common sense.

This is also the charm of basketball. It is never just a game of height. Victory requires a game of thinking and talent. Times have changed, and so has the definition of basketball.. Traditional positional boundaries are disappearing. In the future of basketball, there may not even be separate positions. This is also the most fascinating thing about basketball. It will always be pushed to new heights by those who "break the rules."