The NBA is viewed as a gentler league than past generations, which can be seen in the style or lack of trash talking. At this juncture, quick wits combined with a fiery piercing attitude are at an all-time low. The tenacious players of yesteryear, who slung smack at the opposition for 48 minutes straight, may be faded, but the art remains. Rather, it has gotten more nuanced, inconsistent, and occasionally, doesn’t even contain the “talk” in any way. And the existing NBA rules are primarily to blame for all of this.

The players are almost guaranteed to end up with a technical foul even for “beginner level” trash-talking. “You might get attacked, you might get a fine” is what emerging superstar Jaylen Brown had to say of the league’s sensitivity. The Boston Celtics star was breaking down scenes from iconic basketball movies in an episode of GQ Sports. Brown also broke down a scene from the movie “He Got Game” starring Denzel Washington and Ray “Jesus Shuttlesworth” Allen.

Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel Washington), the father of Jesus Shuttlesworth (Ray Allen), is seen training his son in the scene. Jake sinks a three-pointer over his son and starts talking trash to him. To this, Jaylen Brown reacts by saying, “That’s what’s dope about basketball. You can talk trash and that’s just a part of the game. Now it’s so sensitive on the floor. You can’t really say anything to anybody. You might get attacked, you might get fined.”

“I appreciate, you know, those moments I had growing up in the neighborhood that I grew up in playing against, you know, friends and family members and all that stuff. You get to talk trash. It’s done more fun than that,” Jaylen Brown added.

Jaylen Brown highlights oversensitive NBA rules

Brown clearly highlights the current level of sensitivity in NBA rules. The NBA officials won’t shy away from charging the players with a technical over a little trash-talking. He also stresses the point that a little trash-talking won’t harm anybody and is one of the fun factors about basketball. The beautiful game is all about having fun while maintaining the vital aspect of mutual respect in mind. Ultimately, at the conclusion of any day, basketball is all about respect.

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Of course, some players still won’t shy away from trying to chisel their way under the skin of opponents. Players like Draymond Green, Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, and Luka Doncic will still throw vocal jabs at their opponents. Most players, however, employ it as a tactical maneuver before unloading their skill set on the distracted opponent.

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Damian Lillard perfectly summarised the current situation. “There are trash talkers in the league, but in this era, it’s more gestures,” the star point guard said. He highlighted scenarios like staring at the other bench after converting a 3-pointer, pretending to rock the baby following a tough bucket, or flexing after an and-1.

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Waving goodbye to the away fans after defeating their team is another new trend popularized by Atlanta’s Trae Young.

Such gestures are used to mock the opposition, although they aren’t as merciless as they were in the past. Of course, many would label the current players as “soft” owing to their low-key trash talk; however, it is the regulations that have poured water on the flames of the past.