Point Guard
62 players, average 68.6 overall. Their strongest shared rating is Speed at 75.3, their weakest Blocking at 46.5.
Best in class: Mew 94 · Alakazam 88 · Sceptile 88
Five slots
Pokéjam Position Guide
Five positions, 291 players, and a distribution so lopsided that the first pick in almost every draft should be a centre. This page is the argument for that, with the counts behind it.
| Position | Players | Share | Avg OVR | Best | Rate 85+ | Rate 75+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point Guard | 62 | 21.3% | 68.6 | 94 | 17.7% | 24 |
| Shooting Guard | 67 | 23% | 65.6 | 88 | 6% | 15 |
| Small Forward | 73 | 25.1% | 68.5 | 97 | 12.3% | 31 |
| Power Forward | 53 | 18.2% | 75.1 | 93 | 11.3% | 29 |
| Center | 36 | 12.4% | 80.3 | 96 | 41.7% | 27 |
The scarcity argument
Small Forwards are the deepest position with 73 players; centres are the thinnest with 36, about half as many. If that were the whole story, waiting on a centre would be cheap. It is not the whole story: the average centre rates 80.3, the highest of any position, and 41.7% of centres reach 85 compared with 6% of shooting guards.
Thin and strong is the worst combination to leave until later. The drop from a good centre to an average one is the largest available at any position, and there are only 36 players to choose from in the first place.
What each position is asked to do
Shooting Guard
67 players, average 65.6 overall. Their strongest shared rating is Shooting at 68.4, their weakest Blocking at 52.7.
Best in class: Raikou 88 · Infernape 87 · Lucario 87
Small Forward
73 players, average 68.5 overall. Their strongest shared rating is Finishing at 73.9, their weakest Passing at 60.5.
Best in class: Mewtwo 97 · Latios 92 · Charizard 91
Power Forward
53 players, average 75.1 overall. Their strongest shared rating is Finishing at 81.4, their weakest Handles at 59.7.
Best in class: Rayquaza 93 · Groudon 92 · Garchomp 89
Center
36 players, average 80.3 overall. Their strongest shared rating is Rebounding at 84.4, their weakest Speed at 54.9.
Best in class: Lugia 96 · Ho-Oh 95 · Kyogre 92
The lineup rule
A starting five that covers all five positions gets a bonus — the game applies a small flat lift to the whole lineup when every slot is filled by a natural fit. It is not large enough to beat a clearly better player in isolation, but it applies to every possession of every game, which is more than most individual ratings do.
The cost of ignoring it is worse than the bonus. Put two shooting guards in the lineup and one of them defends out of position: the game keeps the rating but the matchup does not care, and a mis-sized defender loses rebounds and contests. If you cannot fill a slot naturally, fill it with a player whose second-best attribute is the one the position needs.
Bench depth, in Franchise
Franchise drafts ten, and the extra five matter. Starters tire, contact drains stamina, and injuries take a player out for weeks at a time. The coach pulls tired starters at dead balls and goes to the sixth man first, so the bench order is effectively a depth chart.
- One backup per position is the minimum. The game warns you, in the roster view, exactly which positions have no cover.
- The sixth man plays real minutes. Order the bench deliberately rather than letting the coach decide.
- One developmental slot is worth carrying — something cheap that evolves into a starter. See the evolution guide.
Average stat line, all five positions
| Position | Speed | Shooting | Finishing | Passing | Perimeter D | Blocking | Rebounding | Handles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PG | 75.3 | 67.5 | 61.1 | 65.6 | 66.9 | 46.5 | 50.3 | 70 |
| SG | 64.7 | 68.4 | 66.1 | 60.9 | 68.2 | 52.7 | 55.7 | 63.7 |
| SF | 66.4 | 67.9 | 73.9 | 60.5 | 72.3 | 62 | 63.6 | 63.8 |
| PF | 60 | 63.4 | 81.4 | 61.6 | 74.5 | 74.5 | 77.7 | 59.7 |
| C | 54.9 | 62 | 78.9 | 64.6 | 75.4 | 84.2 | 84.4 | 57.8 |