07-07-2022, 11:48 AM
(07-07-2022, 11:24 AM)ItsGoTime Wrote: I think of the term “wing” in the modern day game as mostly a defensive term.
See, here's yet another way wires can get crossed. I find this thinking to be extremely counterintuitive, to the point where I'm tempted to say it's flat out incorrect, but then again I know others who think this same way, like @"Kammrath", for example.
The point I'm making is less about who's right and who's wrong and more about nomenclature used for the sake of brevity. It's only really useful if it conveys meaning as well or better than a more detailed description. To my mind, using "wing" to mean so many different things, as we are prone to do around here, doesn't achieve that.
I suspect that due to the origin of the term (a place on the court, identified to help draw up offensive plays), THJ qualifies more than most of the other players originally mentioned, since those are the areas he occupies when he's on the court most often. But, I concede that the term has been modified to also include other types of players, not just players who play on the wings. At this point the term is used so differently by so many different people that it's difficult to truly reach a consensus.
Sidebar: I think this is part of why some people can't get into basketball, hockey or soccer. In American football and baseball, it's sooooo clear who is playing what position, and with some study even the most casual fan can develop a decent understanding of what each position's responsibilities are on any given play. In basketball, I've noticed that there are folks who've been following the sport for decades whose understanding of that type of thing drastically differs from my own. It's super fascinating, imo, and maybe part of why some of us enjoy the sport so much.