The NBA has created this perception that in order to be any good at basketball, you have to be extremely tall. After all, according to this Hoops Geek article, the average height of an NBA player is about 6’6”. However, there have been a fair share of players in the past (and present) well below this average that have had both long and successful careers. So what positions should you consider playing if you aren’t the tallest player on your team, but you want to play an effective role?
Positions For Short Basketball Players
In the table below, we break down each basketball position, the role it serves, as well as the average height (with no shoes) and weight of that position in the NBA.
| Position | Average Height | Average Weight | Main Responsibilities (as per Jr. NBA) |
| Point Guard | 6’2.5” | 192 lbs. | Create scoring opportunities for the team. Can be described as “a coach on the floor”. |
| Shooting Guard | 6’4.5” | 200 lbs. | Team’s best scorer and an adept dribbler. |
| Small Forward | 6’6.4” | 213 lbs. | Moves all around the court looking for long and short shooting opportunities. |
| Power Forward | 6’6.2” | 227 lbs. | Plays for rebounds and is a defenseman but can take long shots if needed. |
| Center | 6’10.3” | 246 lbs. | Scores close shots and is a key rebounder and blocker on defense. |
The reason we’ve included the role for each position is because in reality, you can play almost any position if you complete those responsibilities perfectly (to a certain degree). While it may be difficult to be a center if you’re not the tallest guy on the court, height doesn’t always dictate which role you should play if you’re not competing on the professional level.
In the NBA, certain players (such as those listed in this article we wrote about “scoring” point guards vs. “true” point guards) are PGs that act in a similar way to shooting guards. Specifically, they have high average PPG stats with relatively low APG; if a point guard is seen as facilitating scoring opportunities, they should have a high amount of assists, but in these instances, that is not the case. Point guards tend to be the shortest players on the court, so one could argue that those mentioned in the article could have been shooting guards but lacked the height to excel in the role.
Where There Any Short NBA Players?
Just taking one look at the NBA’s player database will show you that there are players who are considered short by the league’s standards who don’t exclusively play PG. Jevon Carter and Jalen Brunson are just a few of the notable names that alternate between point guard and shooting guard, even though they both stand at 6’ 2” and 6’1”, respectively.
Like we said, height doesn’t necessarily determine your role. If you are looking to focus on one role to perfect your craft in (and you consider yourself to be short) then serving as a PG is probably your best opportunity to make it far. When we look back a little further to some of the retired players, Muggsy Bogues, Earl Boykins, and Spud Webb were all well below 6’0” tall, but had illustrious careers as PGs.
| Name | Height | Seasons Played | Avg. Mins | PPG | APG |
| Muggsy Bogues | 5’3” | 14 | 28.6 | 7.7 | 7.6 |
| Early Boykins | 5’5” | 13 | 19.9 | 8.9 | 3.2 |
| Spud Webb | 5’6” | 12 | 24.9 | 9.9 | 5.3 |
Interestingly enough, Muggsy got more playing time on average than the other two, who were taller than him. A 29-minute average over a 14-year career is a lot more than most NBA players get, yet he was well over a foot shorter than most. This just goes to show that height, while an important factor in the game, does not correlate to success. If you’re not the tallest on your team, just focus on perfecting your skills and being a team leader. These alone will get you far.
Conclusion
The reality is that, although height does play a pretty large factor in professional basketball, it is not the only factor that is considered. People who are considered “short” can build up their skillset in other ways. It sounds corny, but determination and work ethic can get a basketball player a lot farther than someone who just relies on natural ability. It’s exactly this reason that you see players like Steph Curry outperforming many other players in the league (players who are A LOT taller than him).
If you’re hesitant to try out for your school’s team, or not sure if you even want to try the sport, just remember that preparation for tomorrow is hard work today.