A combo guard is a basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player who combines the attributes of a shooting guard

Shooting guard

The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...

 (2) and point guard

Point guard

Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...

 (1), but does not necessarily fit the standard description of either position. Such guards are usually within the 6'2" to 6'4" (1.88 to 1.93 m) height range.

Combo guards became prominent in the 1990s, when players such as Allen Iverson

Allen Iverson

Allen Ezail Iverson is an American professional basketball point guard and shooting guard. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the number one pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season...

 were switched between playing point guard and shooting guard depending on offensive and defensive situations. Combo guards use their ball-handling skills to bring the ball up the court and set up teammates, while also being able to create their own shot.

The best combo-guards use their "in-between" height and athleticism to their own advantage: smaller shooting guards will use speed and quickness to run past bigger players, while bigger point guards will shoot over the top of smaller players with their jump shots.

Historically, combo-guards have been viewed as difficult for coaches to fit into an offensive system; however, combo-guards have more recently become an important part of basketball, especially in the NBA. Dwyane Wade

Dwyane Wade

Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. nicknamed Flash or D-Wade, is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat. Awarded 2006 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated, Wade has established himself as one of the most well-known and popular players in the league...

, a shooting guard with good ball handling, led the Miami Heat to their first ever NBA Championship, as well as taking home the Finals MVP. In addition, the shift in the sport from a fundamental-driven style of play to one more scoring-orientated means that the inferior passing ability of such guards is not viewed as a serious detriment. This shift is in part explained by hand-checking rules instituted by the NBA in 2007, which makes it a foul for a defender to use his hands to impede an offensive player. This allowed many smaller, weaker combo guards to use their speed to drive around stronger, taller players. In fact, many shorter young players (i.e. 6'2"/1.88 m or less) focus on developing their scoring abilities, whereas previously they would have to be proper point guards with the innate ability to pass to succeed in the professional leagues.

This is in contrast to "true" (or "pure") point guards such as Rajon Rondo

Rajon Rondo

Rajon Pierre Rondo is an American professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association . Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Rondo attended Eastern High School and Oak Hill Academy for his high-school basketball career, before receiving a...

, Deron Williams

Deron Williams

Deron Michael Williams , nicknamed D-Will, is an American basketball player currently with the New Jersey Nets of the National Basketball Association . Williams has also played for the Utah Jazz of the NBA and Beşiktaş of the Turkish Basketball League...

, Steve Nash

Steve Nash

Stephen John "Steve" Nash, OC, OBC is a South African-born Canadian professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association . Nash enjoyed a successful high-school basketball career, and he was eventually given a scholarship by Santa Clara...

, Jason Kidd

Jason Kidd

Jason Frederick Kidd is an American professional basketball point guard who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Raised in Oakland, California, Kidd played college basketball at the University of California, Berkeley and was drafted second overall by the Dallas...

 and Chris Paul

Chris Paul

Christopher Emmanuel Paul is an American professional basketball point guard for the New Orleans Hornets.Paul was born and raised in North Carolina. Despite only playing two varsity basketball seasons in high school, he was a McDonald's All-American and accepted a scholarship with nearby Wake...

. These players exhibit a pass-first mentality, value assists and steals over points, and revel in the responsibility of playmaker rather than finisher. They conform to the perception that a point guard's duties are to direct the offense, distribute the ball, create scoring opportunities for others, and attempt the shot only if there are no open team-mates to be found.

Some players, for example Tyreke Evans

Tyreke Evans

Tyreke Jamir Evans is an American professional basketball player with Virtus Roma in Italy. He is also under contract with the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association , but is not currently playing with them because of the 2011 NBA lockout...

 and Rodney Stuckey

Rodney Stuckey

Rodney Norvell Stuckey is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the NBA.-High school career:...

, have the requisite size for a shooting guard (around 6'5" or 6'6"), but due their above-average passing and playmaking ability, are used as combo guards.