The NBA has long had a debate about players flopping. And there's one Celtics player who has taken the majority of the heat on the team for flopping: Marcus Smart.
Although he is known for his hustle on defense, the 6-foot-4 guard has also had his fair share of questionable calls for taking a charge versus flopping.
When Smart joined ESPN's The Jump Monday, in addition to speaking on last season's team dysfunction and Weird Celtics Twitter, he also shed some light on the fact that he may flop, but he isn't the only one doing so.
"I flop on defense, your favorite player flops on offense," he said. "That's the only difference. Especially in a game where the offense has nothing but the advantage, the defense has to do something to get the advantage back."
Here, he sheds light on the opposing side – offensive players get a lot of leeway when they initiate contact with defenders. Meanwhile, if defenders were to exhibit a small portion of that contact, the officials are quick to call a foul.
While he brings up a point about offensive players also being in the wrong, that doesn't mean defensive players like Smart are never at fault, and even he recognizes that. When Rachel Nichols asked about a clear flop against the Hawks back during the 2016 NBA playoffs, Smart was quick to honestly share his thoughts.
"That's a flop. Let's get that straight, that's a flop, this was hilarious," Smart said. "I deserved everything that came my way after that."
Although he somewhat exposed himself by discussing the topic, the 2018-19 NBA All-Defensive First Team selection did so as a means to bring attention to the other side by sharing that offensive players flop too. But the reality is flopping in the NBA isn't a new issue, and with players on both sides of the court partaking in it, it likely won't go away any time soon.
