‘On the Bench’ Analysts Aim to Give NBA Viewers Courtside Access

NBC Sports is a sports TV innovator. “Inside the Glass” for NHL coverage, “Peacock Pit Box” for NASCAR, and “Inside the Race” motorcycle position for cycling coverage are just a few examples. 

Now NBC again takes TV viewers closer to the action with its new “On the Bench” analyst for NBA coverage.

During Monday night’s stream of Cavaliers-Pistons on Peacock, NBC put a game analyst courtside with each team rather than the traditional setup of having them sit next to the play-by-play caller.

As with “Inside the Glass,” the idea is to bring viewers closer to the action—while providing access they wouldn’t get from traditional coverage. These dedicated team analysts eavesdrop on player huddles and timeouts—and deliver their reports straight from the bench. Before the game, they also immerse themselves with each team at practice. As with “Inside the Glass,” the challenge is not sharing proprietary info that would make some angry assistant coach start throwing punches.

For Monday’s premiere of “On the Bench,” Austin Rivers was with the Cavaliers, while Robbie Hummel covered the Pistons. Noah Eagle called play-by-play. The strategy will be employed for 23 NBA Monday games on Peacock this season.

Rivers said he and Hummel took the idea out for a test drive during the NBA’s Summer League. He’s optimistic coaches, players, and fans will embrace the concept, but you never know. Coaches and players get paranoid when any journalist—even former players—with a microphone gets too close to their huddle.

“I think they’ll find it new and different. At the same time, we’ll be like a fly on the wall. They won’t even notice us. A 6-foot-5 fly on the wall!” said Rivers. 

Similarly, analysts in similar positions like Pierre McGuire at NBC have struggled with what they can and can’t report to viewers at home. Still, the opposing team can watch the coverage, too. 

Hummel talked about what’s on and off the table. “You can’t say what the play is, right? Especially with TV, when you’re dealing with a delay,” he says. “But saying maybe a general concept of what to look for coming out of the huddle. Certainly talking about what the message was. I think just getting a feel for how far you can push without going too far in terms of strategy.”

The NBA wants its three media partners to celebrate and educate this season—not agitate and denigrate via player criticism and hot takes. The “On the Bench” innovation is one way to do it.

NBC coordinating producer Frank DiGraci noted “On the Bench” will help the legacy media giant distinguish its NBA coverage from new media-rights partner Amazon Prime Video and longtime incumbent ABC/ESPN.

“It’s 100% Sam Flood’s idea—and he got it from ‘Inside the Glass,’” DiGraci says, referring to NBC Sports’s executive producer and president of production. “Everybody has been saying, ‘How do you cover the NBA differently with different partners coming in?’ This was instantly an idea on how to do it differently.”