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.
Read more about Tweener (basketball): Power Forward / Center (forward-center), Small Forward / Power Forward (combo Forward or Cornerman/stretch-forward), Shooting Guard / Small Forward (swingman or Guard-forward), Shooting Guard / Point Guard (combo Guard), Point Forward