Ridiculous Bill Simmons take about Knicks star Jalen Brunson must stop

Jalen Brunson changed everything for the New York Knicks when he signed a four-year deal with the team as a free agent in 2022. His offensive savviness, clutch gene, basketball IQ, and leadership are only a few of the reasons fans love him. Brunson is the point guard the organization longed for.

He's the quiet, humble superstar made to thrive in a big market like New York, where everything a star player does is dissected under a microscope. Brunson's goal is to do what Knicks fans have waited so long to see -- win a championship.

All of this is to say that it's hard to create a list of reasons to legitimately criticize Brunson, even if you're not a New York fan. Yes, he isn't a strong defender (sorry, JB), but he isn't afraid to take a charge on that end (he's second in the league with 19). Some people, like Yahoo's Bill Simmons, harp on about how Brunson's a "foul baiter."

Simmons said a few weeks ago that Brunson has "become the preeminent flopper in the NBA." The podcaster said the guard is "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 reiterated the same thing on his most recent podcast episode with Kirk Goldsberry, saying Brunson flops around "like a marlin" while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is "purely trying to get to the free throw line." For reference, SGA averages 8.9 free throws per game (second in the league behind Giannis at 10.2), while Brunson averages seven, fifth in the NBA.

Bill Simmons thinks Brunson is the NBA's "preeminent flopper"

Are there times that Brunson exaggerates contact? Absolutely. Are there times that every other NBA star exaggerates contact? Absolutely. The league has tried to crack down on flopping, but there are still times when a player is rewarded for doing it.

It's interesting that Simmons believes Brunson is the worst flopper in the league when Joel Embiid exists. He played only 19 games before he was ruled out for the season because of his lingering left knee injury, but nobody exaggerates contact like Embiid. See the example below, where Miles McBride was whistled for a foul after Embiid ran into him before flailing backwards.

That's enough about Embiid because we don't have space to post every video of him flopping, sometimes with contact, and sometimes without.

Brunson is crafty on the offensive end and catches defenders sleeping. He likes to attack the paint and draws contact to get to the line like every other star. End of story!

Oh, and just for fun, here's what Simmons had to say about Brunson after he signed with New York three years ago.

Alright, end of story (for real this time!).