Topic summary

Stretch four

Stretch four

In basketball, a stretch four (sometimes called a stretch big) is a player at the power forward position that can shoot further from the basket than a conventional power forward. "Stretch" describes the effect that such a player has on the opposition's defense, and the power forward position is also known as the "four"; hence "stretch four". The stretch four is a fairly recent innovation in the NBA (with an "explosion" of players coming through since the 1999–2000 season), but has become more common as many NBA coaches use the "small-ball" line-up/tactical play.