Tyrese Haliburton recently appeared on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show, where he addressed commissioner Adam Silver’s recent comments about flopping being taught to players in the NBA today.
“For sure, it’s being taught. I don’t think it’s as much head coach teaching as it is player development. Even before you get to the NBA, it’s just something that you like, kind of work on by nature.”
“I think the best scorers are the best, usually the guys who get to the free throw line the most. So, it’s definitely something they work on. Even in pickup, they’re working on how they can draw fouls, things like that. Like, I think that’s a part of the game,” the Indiana Pacers’ guard said.
“I think he made a great point about embellishing calls versus you know fooling a referee because I am under the impression… but I think we have the best officials in sports like I believe that especially when you go play like in the Olympics or in FIBA or something you’re like damn like I really every time I go do that I get back I’m like I go to the refs like ‘hey I missed you guys you guys are awesome.'”
“So I think like they’re really good at what they do, the refs are. So I think more times than not, there’s embellishing going on, more so than just falling out of nowhere. But does it happen? Of course it happens, and it’s talked about. No question,” Haliburton said.
From the mid-range jumpshots to the three-point revolution in the league, nobody thought the next big wave in basketball would be flopping and foul-baiting.
Several voices across the league have justified players’ looking for new ways to excessively draw fouls while claiming that historically, all great scorers have found ways to consistently get to the free-throw line.
But one can argue that resorting to drawing excessive fouls inside the paint instead of shooting from range or looking for clean and open looks feels like taking a step backwards in the progression of the game, since it’s not the most exhilarating to watch from a fan’s perspective.
However, the rationale that no matter what the rules are, some players will find a way to exploit them for their benefit makes a lot of sense to me. Several prominent players have brought foul-drawing to the spotlight in the social media era.
From a legendary scorer like James Harden, who combined drawing fouls with his signature stepback three-point shots to create an unstoppable bag in his prime, to now Shai Gilgeous-Alexander winning consecutive MVPs while consistently being among the top three players in the league, with the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic in terms of average free-throw attempts over the last few years.
It is undeniable that drawing fouls has become a fundamental part of the game for any scorer to elevate to the level of elite in the modern game. However, the fact that players are being taught how to put themselves in positions to unnaturally draw contact seems to be ruining the spirit of real competition and making the overall experience a lot less exciting for NBA fans.
Mike Breen correctly explained that just because the Oklahoma City Thunder have found a winning formula, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is facing criticism for drawing fouls. But does that mean the criticism is warranted? I don’t think it is.
