As great as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was throughout this season, the debate over whether the league MVP relies on flopping overshadowed his historic season. The latest name coming in his defense is four-time NBA champion Draymond Green. 

The Golden State Warriors star has been one of the best defenders in the NBA for over a decade now. From Green’s experience, the Thunder star was not a flopper, as he elaborated on 'The Draymond Green Show' via an X post by NBA Courtside on May 31, 2026.

“As a defender, I’ve played against guys that flop. Guys that flop don’t win. You just got floppers out there, they don’t win. So y’all can stop calling SGA a flopper, because he’s a champion. I can tell you that floppers don’t really win. It just don’t happen.”

While Green didn’t mention players who flopped against him, there have been a few players who had a reputation for flopping. During the prime Warriors-Houston Rockets series in the James Harden era, 'The Beard' had a reputation for overselling and drawing contact. 

'Point God' Chris Paul was a nightmare with his elite playmaking, but also with his flopping.

However, their reputation never undermined the greatness they showed on the basketball court.

As much as SGA was prosecuted online for flopping, none of the players openly called him out. The two-time MVP knows how to get to his spot and draw contact to get to the free-throw line. The opponent's defensive failure contributes to such offensive opportunities for SGA.

“Worried about them flopping? Play better defense. If not, shut up,” Green added.

Per Green, there is no excuse why SGA shouldn’t be treated with respect. But there seems to be some evidence backing the flopper claims.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Flopper Narrative and His Postseason performance

While calling SGA a flopper does diminish his skill, the data suggests something that the league has rarely come across, related to dominant championship players.

During this playoff, SGA has as many field goals as free throws in 15 games.

What is even more interesting is the fact that after Game 6, SGA had 120 made field goals and 123 made free throws in 14 games. The Thunder star didn’t perform like an MVP in the postseason, yet averaged 27.6 points. 31.1% of SGA’s points in this playoff have come from free throws. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the league with 148 total free throws this postseason, which is 24 more than James Harden in second place. In the first round against Phoenix, he averaged 12.3 free throws per game.

A lot of the narrative that has painted SGA as a flopper has stemmed from the falls he takes during the game.

During the four-game sweep against the Suns, he hit the deck 11 times, and 13 times against the Lakers. But that number rose significantly to 22 in the first four games against the Spurs in the WCF.

While the criticism against SGA might be exaggerated, it hasn’t stemmed from a vacuum.

Do you agree with Green’s take on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Nandjee Ranjan

Edited by

Surjo Ray