by Derek Flack

Created on: April 25, 2008

The depth chart is a simple tool used on every level of basketball. It shows your strengths at certain positions and your weaknesses at others. It is a guideline to help build a competitive basketball team.

The depth chart typically displays your starting five basketball players, a point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, and center. These positions also have numbers associated with them, in the same order stated previously the numbers are 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, with 1 being the point guard and 5 being the center.

The backups, or bench players, fill out the rest of the depth chart. In the NBA the active roster (the players dressed for the game) consist of 12 players. The NBA roster can have up to 15 players, with three being inactive (not dressed for the game).

In the NBA general managers build the rosters of their teams using the depth chart. If a team only has one point guard on the roster, the general manager will usually try to sign at least one but usually two more players at that same position. That way they will be a backup to rest the starter in games. If one of the backups improves and becomes the best player at the position they move up in the depth chart and may become the starter. If a starter suffers an injury the backups temporarily move up in the depth chart.

The general manager provides the players for the roster, but the coaching staff determines the order of the depth chart. The coaches decide who is in the number one spot on the depth chart, then who is the primary backup followed by the third string player.

The depth chart is very important during the NBA draft that is held each June. This is when coaches, general managers, and scouts get together and dissect the roster. They decide what players they want to keep for the upcoming season and create a preliminary depth chart. This early depth chart shows the organization what players they have, then based on need if certain positions lack players they will draft players that fit those needs and fill the depth chart. This strategy is used by the teams in the NBA who already have strong players at each position and just need to fill the depth chart.

An example of this strategy is the San Antonio Spurs. They have great players at every position, but they have older players at the power forward and center positions, so in the NBA draft they way choose a player to fill a need, a young player to be a third string at one of these positions that can learn the game and eventually move up the depth chart.

The weaker teams in the NBA who don't have as talented of players as the best teams do so they use an alternative strategy when it comes to the NBA draft. These teams might have enough players at certain positions but the skill set and talent might not be what they want. That is when these teams draft more talented players for the same position.

An example of this srategy is the Miami Heat. They had the worst record in the NBA this season and will end up with a very high draft pick. Derrick Rose is a very talented point guard with a unique skill set, however the Heat already have point guards on their roster, they just have a weak skill set compared to other teams point guards. Because Rose is a great player with a lot of potential Miami may draft him, moving the less talented players back a spot in the depth chart.

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