Free throws are king in today’s NBA, and players like Jalen Brunson will do anything to get them.
In a league full of “floppers,” Bill Simmons thinks the Knicks star is in a league of his own.
“I think [Brunson’s] become the preeminent flopper in the NBA,” Simmons said on his eponymous podcast.
And it’s not just shot attempts that he’s baiting for fouls on.
“He’s doing it on both ends, he’s doing it on defense and offense,” Simmons added. “He’s flopping on picks, he’s flopping coming off screens, he’s flopping when somebody bumps into him on a drive, he’s flopping for charges.”
Simmons called Brunson the “complete package” when it comes to flopping and that he was “in awe” watching him play recently.
Flopping is often said to have been started by James Harden in his Houston Rockets days, but Simmons thinks Harden’s reign as the premier flopper is behind him.
Trae Young then became Harden’s clone in the foul-baiting sense, but “some of the rule changes have got in his head,” according to Simmons.
Which leaves the flopping crown for Brunson.
“Brunson’s top of his game … I think he’s the complete package,” Simmons said. “Some of the best flopping I’ve ever seen.”
While free throws don’t fully tell the story of how much a player is flopping, the numbers don’t perfectly back up Simmons’ thoughts.
Brunson is currently eighth in the NBA in free throws attempted per game at 6.8. Harden and Young both rank ahead of Brunson, albeit not by much, with Young at 7.3 attempts and Harden at seven.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lead the league in free throws per game at 10.4 and 8.9, respectively.
Simmons’ comments ironically come after Brunson didn’t attempt a single free throw in the Knicks’ blowout loss to the Celtics on Sunday.