There are five positions in basketball, but only one of them actually describes what the player at that position is supposed to do.
A small forward isn’t small, and a power forward’s game is rarely ever predicated on power. A point guard points, sure, but only in the literal sense; it isn’t a defining characteristic of the position. And a center is hardly descriptive at all.
But a shooting guard? Well, that one’s easy. A shooting guard shoots. It’s right there in the name.
You’ll notice, however, that the term doesn’t specify the efficacy of said shooting, and that crafty little loophole was on display in Salt Lake City on Wednesday night, when a pair of high-profile shooting guards offered up microcosms of their seasons.