How long has the term "tweener" for power fowards been dead in the NBA?

[theballerFKA Ace]

I remember players like Kenyon Martin, Michael Beasley, and even Blake Griffin being referred to as tweeners because they were too small to be PFs but not quick enough, didn't have the handles and/or didn't have the jumpshot to be considered a SF.

Seems like this term started in the early 2000s for PFs who were shorter than 6'10 or not a powerfully built 6'8, 6'9 player over 250lbs. I don't ever remember anyone saying Rodman or Charles Barkley were tweeners though. So this term lasted what? A decade maybe and then died? Will it ever make a comeback again?

[DoctorP]

Its only applied to players that suck

[dirkdiggler41]

Its only applied to players that suck

Wrong. There were a lot of players in the NBA that did not quite fit in. Like Josh Smith who was clearly a mix between the 3 and 4. You could say Dirk also was a tweener, but for me, he switched quite fast from a pull-up small forward floating around the 3 point line to a power forward playing with the back to the basket in a non-traditional way. Rasheed Wallace also comes to mind.

[Reggie43]

Always thought of it as a 90s term but its been dead because there are barely any elite traditional back to the basket forwards so you can get away with having a tweener at the four spot on defense which became the norm in the modern nba.

[MrFonzworth]

It died when McConnell came into the league and revolutionized the way basketball is played today.

[DoctorP]

Wrong. There were a lot of players in the NBA that did not quite fit in. Like Josh Smith who was clearly a mix between the 3 and 4. You could say Dirk also was a tweener, but for me, he switched quite fast from a pull-up small forward floating around the 3 point line to a power forward playing with the back to the basket in a non-traditional way. Rasheed Wallace also comes to mind.

Dirk was clearly a 4 as was Wallace. Way too big and slow to be SF.

[DoctorP]

Josh Smith at the 3? Couldn't shoot.

[DoctorP]

Wallace could probably play small ball 5

[Round Mound]

Isn't Draymond Green one? He is a great defender and good passer but aint in the level of Charles or Dennis. If they eliminate the 3-point line basketball would be more similar as it once was and more classical PFs would have more chances. They added the 3-pointline in the ABA in the 70's and then in the NBA in 1979 so basketball stared of without a 3-pointline. It was harded to score the closer you got to hte rim as there where more contested shots and rebounds. etc.

[DoctorP]

Isn't Draymond Green one? He is a great defender and good passer but aint in the level of Charles or Dennis. If they eliminate the 3-point line basketball would be more similar as it once was and more classical PFs would have more chances. They added the 3-pointline in the ABA in the 70's and then in the NBA in 1979 so basketball stared of without a 3-pointline. It was harded to score the closer you got to hte rim as there where more contested shots and rebounds. etc.

Hes a three until he cant shoot threes,then hes a 4

[Gudo]

I havent heard of the term but one that comes to mind is grant williams of the celtics. Undersized PF but is versatile enough to cover the perimeter and play under the basket as well.

[DoctorP]

Hes a three until he cant shoot threes,then hes a 4

Actually, check that, if he cant shoot threes hes almost unplayable

[theballerFKA Ace]

Wrong. You could say Dirk also was a tweener,

I've never heard Dirk called a tweener before. The guy is 7 foot tall. The term was mainly used for PFs under 6'10, not the reverse(7 footers too weak to guard other PFs). I would sometimes hear it used for what we call combo guards today though.