Marcus Smart is now regarded as one of the best defensive guards in the NBA and rightfully so, after he won Defensive Player of the Year in 2022. Defense isn’t the only area that Smart has made a name for himself, though as he is well-known for his flopping too.
He once called it a smart play, but with the NBA now considering implementing an in-game penalty for flops in the form of a technical free throw, Smart might have to change his ways. He shared his thoughts on this potential penalty during an interview with The Big Lead, where he stressed that officials need to be consistent.
“I think people tend to forget that just as many high-profile players flop on the offensive end as they do on the defensive end,” Smart said. “It’s tough because flopping or not flopping usually ends up being a judgment call that’s left up to the refs. I know the refs have a very difficult job each and every night and I commend them on the job they do, so as long as there is consistency when calling flops on both sides of the ball then I’m good with it!”
No one would certainly argue with him that players flop on offense and that is probably where we see most of the flopping. Smart is also right when he says it is a judgment call and there is certainly going to be some sort of controversy around it if it does get implemented.
Kevin Garnett Suggested An Extreme Measure To Deter Flopping
Flopping was one of the biggest talking points of these past playoffs and the NBA considering this penalty shows they want to try to take it out of the game. Fans and former players alike have also been quite frustrated by all the flopping that they see today and Kevin Garnett put forth quite an interesting penalty for it.
He suggested the NBA needs to have a flopping cage where players would have to sit for two minutes if they are called for a flop. If a penalty in the form of a technical foul could lead to controversy, you can only imagine what would happen if a player had to sit out for two minutes because of a debatable call. Safe to say Commissioner Adam Silver won’t be considering Garnett’s idea.
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