Screengrab via ESPN
By Matt Yoder on

It’s a new era for the NBA on ESPN beginning with the 2025 season. And while Inside the NBA‘s addition has gotten most of the publicity, Tim Legler is also going to be a big part of the network’s coverage.

And that’s great for basketball fans.

“Legs” has been a part of ESPN’s NBA coverage for years and years. However, he has finally earned one of the top spots at the network as he will join Mike Breen and Richard Jefferson as the new top broadcast team for the NBA Finals. Legler steps in for Doris Burke as ESPN seeks to find a trio that can replicate the success of Breen’s longtime partnership with Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy.

But ESPN is at a crossroads in their basketball coverage not just with personalities and talent, but with how the network approaches the league. Last year was a breaking point for a lot of fans as ESPN went all-in on drama and controversy, sucking the life out of any enjoyment of the sport. And sometimes it was of ESPN’s own making: see the Stephen A. Smith vs LeBron James feud that sucked up way too much oxygen all season long last year.

On top of that, ESPN’s studio coverage for games was also rejected by fans with the NBA Finals telecasts some of the most discouraging and disconnected sports content that has ever been seen on the network.

But heading into the new campaign, could ESPN finally be turning over a new leaf and lead their basketball coverage with… analysis about basketball?

The last two days has featured Tim Legler sitting down with two coaches who preceded him in the ESPN broadcast booth – Doc Rivers of the Milwaukee Bucks and JJ Redick of the Los Angeles Lakers. And both were able to give breakdowns that were more reminiscent of what you may see on the Mind the Game podcast than any episode of First Take on the new Coaches Corner.

Judging by the reactions from fans on social media, basketball fans were overjoyed to see actual analysis about the game on ESPN airwaves instead of another manufactured debate, endless dialogue about needing a face of the league, hypothetical trade talks involving the New York Knicks, and whatever the drama of the day might be.

After seeing this kind of universally positive reaction, it’s like NBA fans have finally entered the promised land after wandering through the television wilderness. All they needed was Tim Legler to lead the way.

In all seriousness, though, this is exactly what ESPN should be doing more of when it comes to their NBA coverage. The network has done a great disservice to fans by focusing so much on off-court happenings and transactions and pretty much ignoring what actually happens on the court. Approaching the game like this with an established Xs and Os guru like Tim Legler will give more fans more appreciation for today’s stars. Let the basketball speak for itself!

Is it because ESPN is getting a new challenge from new NBA rightsholders in Amazon and NBC? Or have they finally realized that they can treat the NBA like the NFL and actually let their analysts cook. Whatever the case, between this Coaches Corner development and the acquisition of Inside the NBA, we could be witnessing one of the great turnarounds in the history of sports media.

About Matt Yoder

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