Fixing the NBA Broadcast: How to Make the Game More Engaging and Educational for Fans
More depth, better storytelling, and smarter analysis, how the NBA can overhaul its broadcast for the modern game.
The NBA is in an incredible place right now. The level of talent across the league is as high as it’s ever been, with players developing skills that were unimaginable just a few decades ago. Teams are playing at a faster pace, running complex offensive sets, and utilizing analytics to maximize efficiency. Yet, despite all of this, there’s a growing sentiment that the NBA product isn’t as enjoyable to watch.
But is it really the game that’s the problem? Or is it the way the game is being presented?
There’s a major disconnect between how NBA broadcasts function and how they should function in an era where attention spans are shorter and the game itself is more nuanced than ever. Casual fans often complain that “all the NBA does is shoot threes,” while deeper fans struggle to find engaging, insightful commentary that helps them appreciate the intricacies of the sport.
The real issue? NBA broadcasts aren’t evolving. They’re stuck in outdated formats that don’t serve the modern viewer. Here’s how they can fix it.
The Problem with NBA Broadcasting
NBA broadcasts are formulaic. The pregame show is usually filled with broad generalizations, hot takes, and sometimes people complaining about the state of the game. The actual play-by-play commentary is mostly surface-level, with analysts rarely explaining why certain plays work or breaking down the tactical chess match between teams. Then, the halftime and postgame shows? More highlights (which we saw already on Bluesky) and recycled talking points, often with minimal substance.
Today, the NBA is a whirlwind of high-speed decisions and intricate schemes. Fans who aren’t already deeply immersed in the sport are left behind, while hardcore fans feel like they aren’t being given anything new.
Think about it: If you watch an NBA game while checking your phone, you might look up and see a three-pointer or a dunk. Without context, that’s all it looks like, just another three, just another dunk. But beneath that moment is why that shot happened. What defensive breakdown led to it? What offensive action created the space? Was it an adjustment from the previous possession? This is where the broadcast should step in, but too often, it doesn’t.
Compare this to other sports. The best NFL broadcasts explain how a quarterback is reading the defense or why a certain blitz worked. The best baseball broadcasts break down pitch sequencing and how batters adjust throughout a game. NBA broadcasts, meanwhile, rarely go beyond the surface.
This isn’t just a missed opportunity, it’s actively hurting the league.
How the NBA Can Improve Its Broadcasts
1. Make the Game an Educational Experience
The most frustrating part of NBA broadcasts is that they fail to teach the game. There’s no consistent effort to educate fans on the strategies, tendencies, and decisions that shape each possession. The league has an opportunity to build smarter fans, but instead, the broadcasts cater to the lowest common denominator.
Imagine if the average NBA fan understood the importance of weak-side help defense, the difference between a drop and switch coverage, or why certain teams spam a particular pick-and-roll action. This level of understanding makes the game more enjoyable. It gives fans something to watch for beyond just the ball going in the hoop.
Broadcasters should take notes from analysts like Ben Taylor (Thinking Basketball) and Nate Duncan (Dunc’d On Podcast). These guys don’t just describe what happens, they explain why it happens. When Duncan calls games on the NBA Strategy Stream, he isn’t just saying, “Damian Lillard three, good.” He’s explaining how the Bucks are setting up actions to get Lillard in those spots, what the defense is trying (and failing) to do to take it away, and how teams might adjust.
This should be the standard, not the exception. Call the game within the game.
2. Play-by-Play and Analysis Need to Merge
Right now, NBA broadcasts split play-by-play and color commentary into two distinct roles. One guy calls the action, the other provides analysis, but the analysis is often just a regurgitation of what we already saw.
Instead, these roles should blend together. The best commentators contextualize what’s happening as it happens. If Jayson Tatum isolates at the top of the key, don’t just say “Tatum drives left.” Explain that the Celtics have been targeting a specific defender all game, or that the defense is late rotating over because they don’t want to leave a shooter open.
This isn’t advanced calculus, it’s just adding more depth to what’s already being said. Nate Duncan does this effortlessly, weaving real-time strategy into his play-by-play. There’s no reason national broadcasts can’t do the same. The insight I get while listening to Nate Duncan call a game helps me know what to watch for. It helps me key in on certain matchups or strategies being deployed and I become more invested in the game.
3. Make Halftime Shows Actually Useful
The NBA halftime show is a wasteland. At best, it’s a few highlights. At worst, it’s a bunch of ex-players laughing about how the game used to be better. Either way, it does nothing to enhance the viewing experience.
What if, instead, halftime was informative?
• Show real breakdowns of key plays from the first half, explaining why they worked and the skill needed to execute them.
• Highlight specific matchups and adjustments we should watch for in the second half.
• Use graphics to show trends—e.g., how often a team ran a certain action and how effective that action has been.
Other sports have done this well. In hockey broadcasts, analysts sometimes step onto a fake rink and demonstrate tactics. The NBA could do the same—set up a small court and have former players walk through why a specific action is working. Why we the viewer think it looks simple, but what are the challenges? How much skill does it take to execute? I remember watching a hockey studio show where a goalie explained the RVH technique. Its strengths and weaknesses and how goalies use it. I loved it. I became more informed and now I knew what to watch for when a goalie implemented the RVH.
Even simple changes, like showing stats in an intuitive way (including percentiles with the raw numbers), could make a big difference. Not everyone is going to have a frame of reference to know if a certain stat is above average, below average, etc. Or we don’t even need numbers, using second spectrum tracking data, what were the most common actions both team ran. Who are both teams trying to attack on the other end? Where on the floor is each team getting their offense?
Showing a 5-minute video package similar to Thinking Basketball style during halftime of a player playing in the game would be amazing. I watch this Thinking Basketball video and now I can’t wait to watch a Blazers game to lock in on Toumani Camara‘s defense. Or portions of this video being played before and during Grizzlies broadcast to help people get a better sense of the Grizzlies unique offense. This is what I mean when I say I want the broadcast to educate the fans on the game.
4. Former Players Should Share More Insight, Not Just Nostalgia
Ex-players can be a huge asset to broadcasts, but only if they provide perspective rather than just complaining about the modern game.
Instead of, “Back in my day, we didn’t take this many threes,” tell us why the game has changed. Explain how players train differently, how defenses have adjusted, and how certain skills are more valuable now than they used to be.
Fans want to know what it’s like to play in the NBA. Talk about how exhausting road trips are, how scouting reports change from game to game, how defenders communicate on the floor. Bring us into the experience rather than just comparing it to 90’s. If you only watch one Thinking Basketball video, please let it be this one. It also help explains why educational broadcasts are so important. The game of the 90’s was simple and slow. The modern game is fast and more complex making it harder for the viewer to follow requiring more effort from the broadcast to inform the viewer to bring them up to speed.
5. Stop Pandering to Casual Fans, Turn Them Into Real Fans Instead
A common argument is that NBA broadcasts need to cater to casual fans. That’s true to an extent. But the best way to cater to casual fans isn’t by dumbing things down, it’s by making them care. By educating them on the game. Not by having Kevin Hart run around making fun of all stars.
You don’t pander to casual fans, you convert them into real fans.
The more a viewer understands the game, the more likely they are to stick around. The NBA has an opportunity to turn casual watchers into dedicated fans by making the game more engaging, not less.
Conclusion: The NBA Deserves a Better Broadcast
The NBA’s on-court product is as good as it’s ever been. The players are incredible, the talent is deep, and the strategies are more intricate than ever. But the broadcast isn’t keeping up.
Right now, it’s surface-level, repetitive, and often outright dismissive of the sport it’s covering. It’s time for that to change, and broadcast to come up with new and outside the box ideas to help educate the viewer on the game.
The best broadcasters don’t just describe what’s happening, they teach the game, they make us care, and they elevate the experience. Until the NBA commits to that kind of broadcasting, it will always feel like the product isn’t as good as it could be.
Because the truth is, the game is great. The way it’s being presented? Not so much.