Watch: Lakers' Austin Reaves is flopping at a whole new level

Reaves contorted his body and launched himself backward in hopes of getting a foul. Instead, he looked like he was about to lose a limbo contest, crashing to the ground as his desperate shot clanked off the rim.

Perhaps it's because Reaves played in the FIBA World Cup this season, and had a chance to flop alongside some of the NBA's best players. Sometimes it takes a player weeks to get into peak shape for the season, but Reaves has never flopped so egregiously — and this is only the preseason finale.

According to this year's NBA 2K24 player ratings, an authoritative source on NBA player skills, Reaves has the 14th-highest Draw Foul Attribute in the league. That's ahead of All-Star foul drawers Zion Williamson, Nikola Jokic and even flop god James Harden. But Reaves had an amazing flopping season, drawing phantom fouls on the biggest stage in the playoffs.

Being ranked ahead of Harden is a real feather in Reaves' cap, a cap that has likely fallen off because Reaves fell down and grabbed his head when an opposing defender breathed on him. Last year, Reaves revealed that he'd studied video of Harden and Trae Young in order to manufacture free throw attempts. His research has paid off.

The NBA is supposedly cracking down on in-game flopping this year, but if this play didn't draw a technical foul, it's early proof that the officials aren't taking it seriously yet. We can't wait to see what other flops Reaves has up his sleeve for when the games actually count.