And the Award Goes to…Who Are the Best Actors in the NBA so Far This Season?

In honor of all the awards shows that are taking place over the next few weeks, we thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the best acting we have seen so far this season in the NBA.

At the start of every new year, people everywhere look forward to finding out what the best performances from the previous year were. Between the Academy Awards, the Oscar’s, the Golden Globes, and the Grammy’s, along with who knows how many other awards shows, people are excited to hear which movies and actors were the most meaningful and influential of 2017.

When it comes to the NBA, we want to know which players deserve nominations for these extra special “Best Actor” awards. So many NBA players deserve recognition each year that it hurts leaving some out.

The flop phenomenon that has taken over the NBA is most well-known from players like LeBron James, James Harden, and Chris Paul. Many others are replicating the near-death experience, but the stars of the show are common household names.

The art of flopping is one that many players are starting to perfect. Some of these players understand what and when the refs want to see, while others simply use their size disadvantage as an advantage.

Despite some belief in the NBA, flopping and “selling it” are actually the same thing, involving little to no contact. These players understand and apply the old adage “Give someone an inch and they’ll take a mile.”

To understand fully what this art form entails, let’s take a look at last year’s clear winner of the Best Flop award.

As you can see from the flailing limbs, the amount of air, and the obvious lack of contact, Marcus Smart is putting on a clinic of just how to make the refs notice you no matter what. Sometimes you get the call and sometimes you don’t, but the important thing is that you make sure the ref knows about it after the fact.

Let’s take a look at some of this year’s nominees that did not quite take home the award.

https://twitter.com/LegionHoops/status/950583525165731840

Although there is some contact here between the offensive player and Chris Paul, the flop comes into play with the dramatization of it all. To make it simple, yes, Kris Dunn did hit Chris Paul. No, that hit was not hard enough to cause a complete 360.

Drawing a charge is one of the most effective ways to flop in the NBA and this Pacers player shows you that there is no limit to the ways you can draw said charge. Not even Walter Payton could’ve caused that kind of reaction.

Let’s clear some things up on this one. Yes, there was a foul from Evan Turner on the arm before the block from Nurkic. Yes, the reactions from both Nurkic and Mejri are overblown and unnecessary. But, the big flop comes into play after all that when something “hits” Salah Mejri on the face and he goes down like a sack of potatoes. This is a familiar site for Mavs fans.

Anthony Davis isn’t really known for his flopping, but this one is pretty good. Not many players can take literally 0 contact and turn out a performance like that. Takes some incredible body control (or lack thereof?).

Much like the Chris Paul video earlier, there is undoubted contact here, but not enough to generate the whiplash that Jawun Evans is undoubtedly feeling after the play. If a car wreck and a stationary James Harden can cause the same reaction, someone is doing a little bit of overacting.

And now, let’s see the runner-up for Flop of the Year at this point in the season…

Dwyane Wade did something really incredible here. He managed to combine the acts of flopping and complaining to the refs all in one motion. Although Danny Crawford would have made this foul call, the refs in the game did not and thus the flop looks even worse.

And the winner of the NBA Flop of the Season goes to…

This flop is pretty bad as you can see by the head kicking back, the falling to the ground from a slap on the arm, and the fact that it had no benefit to the game. That is fairly normal though and on video, this flop looks kind of average.

The real flop happened after the game when Anderson responded to this video with an explanation of what it means to “sell it” vs. flopping. This tweet was, of course, a flop. Kyle Anderson, you are this year’s lucky winner.

Next: Could Detroit Turn its Attention to Wesley Matthews?

Flopping is a big part of the NBA now and, although we were promised that floppers would be fined, it seems that anyone can get away with it at any time. Still, they are awfully entertaining to look back at.