Writer Thinks 2 Lakers Will Number Among Top 10 Flopping Tech Recipients

We already got the news that Los Angeles Lakers' star LeBron James is being poised as the favorite to make some very odd history next season and actually receive the very first, official technical foul due to flopping. That is a new rule that will be enforced by NBA officials the first time and maybe The King went a bit far with his acting in years prior on the court, but he is locked in heading into Year 21.

However, it looks like experts are convincing themselves that the Lakers as a whole will not be too happy with this new rule. Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey compiled a list of his projections for the top 10 players that will accumulate the most flopping technical fouls and two LA players made appearances.

First off, this was his reasoning for 'The Kid From Akron.'

"LeBron will have his reputation to save him from a handful of flop calls, but he's prolific enough to find his way into the top 10 anyway.From Cleveland to Miami to Los Angeles, LeBron has built a flop compilation (or flopilation, if you will) that can go head-to-head with that of just about any of his contemporaries. And while LeBron's

production

in Year 20 suggests he might be a basketball immortal, there's no doubt he's lost at least some of the explosiveness he had in his prime."

(Via Bleacher Report)

Bailey did not stop there as he also mentioned rising star Austin Reaves who was a top option on offense for the Lakers in 2023 due to his ability to not only shoot but also get to the rim and either finish or draw enough contact for some free throws.

"Reaves has a good feel for the pick-and-roll and gets to the rim fairly regularly, but when in doubt, he often resorts to embellishment.And his inclination to flop isn't confined to the offensive end either. Reaves often punctuates a hustle play on defense or the boards with a not-so-subtle head toss to coax the refs into blowing the whistle.Much of the above worked in his favor in 2022-23 (among the 178 players in 2022-23 with 200-plus three-point attempts, Reaves

trailed

only Embiid in free-throw-attempt rate), but officials will be more keyed into flops this season."

(Via Bleacher Report)

It will definitely take some getting used to but let's hope these predictions end up b being wrong!

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