Plenty of ads tho

You need analysts who’ve done a lot of research to do that, rather than a collection of personalities

its so funny they still ask the players what theyll do with their first check, these guys have been millionaires for years already

First time?

ESPN is a microcosm of everything that is wrong with our society.  All rage baiting, ram it down your throat advertising, substanceless brain rot.

Basketball was my favorite sport. But you know what? I watched a meaningless MLB game today instead of the draft because I’m just so sick of what the NBA has become - both it’s presentation and the “analysis” put forth by these braindead idiots on ESPN.

There were two different sets of crews. One was on ESPN and other was on ABC.

I watched the one with Bilas & Marks.

Edit: there was a third crew on ESPN’s YouTube channel.

Draft analysis has moved to the web. The Draft show itself is just entertainment at this point, why do you think they changed it to 2 days

You watched the wrong broadcast lol… The Kenny Smith one was essentially the B team.

It’s ESPN bruh. It’s basically just advertising for the gambling sites and looking for sound bites now. It’s one of the worst run companies of all time, the Yahoo of sports. 

I had to mute the audio during those Salters family interviews

The broadcast was basically one full transaction behind all night. Silver would announce the pick, the chyron had the wrong team, and the desk was still doing small talk about the previous guy.

I think the bigger problem is their marketing. You watched the “normie” version on ABC, while their actual show on ESPN had Jay Bilas and Tim Legler, among other great analysts, was great and did everything you are criticizing the other one for.

The ABC show alone is just designed to be almost all draft interviews rather than analysis

ESPN has been garbage for years. Probably like 15+ at this point.

Pretty much everyone they hire for “analysis” is just a moron/former player who waits for their turn to drop a terrible take and then let the clip go viral.

Like you said, they don’t actually break down their game, show highlights, explain why they were drafted, etc.

Everything they say is insanely generic and can be repeated by anyone. “I love this kid. Not only can he score but he can play defense as well. Everything you want out of a player.”

…right…

The drafts have become such a joke and are just over blown nonsense at this point. All the leagues and networks just HAVE to squeeze every cent out of the fans and have a million ads, sponsors, etc.

I usually just look up the recaps the next day. I don’t need to watch three hours of bullshit to find out who my team drafted.

I mean ESPN & the NBA struggle to even properly show and tell which teams draft which players

They also laid off lots of their analysts over the past decade+ aswell

We also “heard” a muted Dirk that they stayed on for way too long

This is why you just look at who picked after the fact, no point in watching the picks be read

Not every pick needs to be a human interest story

Hard to explain to younger viewers how much ESPN has fallen off. It’s a valueless brand at this point

Very weak telecast… on YouTube there were a ton of livestreams that were actually good and well informed… the ESPN broadcast was unwatchable

I absolutely hated how they forced the players to take sit down interviews with their families. It’s the players moment…why are you making it about their families, who have nothing interesting to say btw.

I muted it after like pick 3 lol

“The Pick Is In” => cut to 3 minute interview with previous pick and family where they’re asked how it feels and they say all the same things. “It’s like a dream come true.” “I worked so hard to get here ” “I’m so proud of my son/brother.”

i’ve been watching the draft every year since the 2000s and honestly the old ESPN crew had their issues too but at least they talked actual basketball. spending half the broadcast on gambling segments and the other half on awkward interviews is a choice 😂

Literally no one cares about what the mom, dad, uncle has to say. It’s market research gone bad.

It’s lazy and it shows why ESPN is no longer king

I know we’re a much smaller pond, but it’s one thing I really appreciate about Australian rules football (AFL), there’s like 4 grown men who we only really see during the draft who knows every kid’s combine record, best position, why the team wants them, and what they ate for breakfast in 9th grade to get us stoked about draftees and then they disappear into the ether until summoned again.

I’m so glad I never stay up for this and just read the full list when I wake up. The NFL one is so much more enjoyable

no reason why we’re 3 hours in and only at the 26th pick 😂😂 espn was just dragging it

That’s kind of on you for expecting ESPN to put out a respectable product

Dude watches the ABC coverage designed for casuals and complains it was for casuals

Watch the espn coverage where there are actual analysts

I was trying to find a second stream with some analysis thought the one just interviewing dudes families couldn’t be the main one

NBA is WWE, has been for a while. 

When I said something felt off about the draft around pick 4-5 I was told it was because I’m 30 lmaoooo

It’s not football… Outside of the top couple picks they’re all lottery tickets…

It’s so funny how you guys seriously think the draft matters outside of the top 10.

Just because amazing players come from outside the top 10, doesn’t mean anyone knows who the hell they are, or is hyping them.

Football is completely different.

“What does this moment mean to you?”

Lisa Salter asking the really hard hitting (brain dead) questions…

Shams is an industry plant. Dude sucks so bad. I turned off the coverage as soon as I saw his face

NBA as a whole is embarassing with the draft pick issue. Not being able to officially have the team who has the pick is so needlessly confusing. You have these dudes going up putting on a hat of a team that traded the pick, its so incredibly stupid and such an easy fix

I tried to listen on the radio as I was driving and had to shut it off within a few minutes… It was just a giant word salad, nothing of substance was being said.

Far cry from the nfl ones

Nah. I just pressed simulate to end of draft. Worked for me.

I feel like this is kinda on you for expecting any actual analysis from ESPN.

Like pretty much all mainstream media, they are entertainment, not news, and their market no longer gives a shit about depth and accuracy, but on clickbait and controversy. That SAS is their highest paid basketball reporter/analyst/talking head, and that they give so much airtime to Kendrick Perkins should be all the evidence you need of that.

If you want actual “analysis” then there are dozens of longer form podcasts, that are much better suited to it, and then you just need to take your pick on who fits the balance of analysis vs entertainment that you want.

I miss when TNT covered the draft and when Chuck was also on it. Surprised that ESPN didn’t have him on.

This just in: ESPN still sucks and continues to forget the sports in further emphasis of entertainment

Wait! People seriously watch that garbage?

It’s a trash product that takes at least an hour longer than it should. Done watching it.

First time I have ever watched the NBA draft, and it was confusing as hell with the setup. Sloppy trade announcements and them having a hat for a team they will not play for. The coverage team were bums that seemed more interested in being right and dunking on each other than actually discussing what the pick might bring for the team. The one that had hair was talking about topps trading cards being out TODAY like they had a gun pointed directly at him off camera during the Wilson and Boozer bit. He also called them “products” of their college which felt extremely gross. Maybe it was just the way he said it, but man did that stick out to me. I did enjoy Spike Lee shushing them and saying he was trying to listen. But having seen NFL drafts before plenty of times this was god awful. Never again.

Yeah this may have been the last time I’ll watch the NBA draft outside of when my team is picking

It was an abysmal product

They only care about family drama… total suck fest

I no longer even get espn. I ended up on some yahoo sports show. They didnt have access to the drafted players but it was informative.

Bleacher Report had a pretty nice live draft show last night

I might be in the minority. But i was just relieved not to deal with SAS, Perk, or a Woj/Shams… that doesn’t mean it’s good, but it’s been worse.

I liked Andraya Carter being on it in previous years but felt like she deferred too much to the more on-air personalities who just don’t give a shit about the draft or really the NBA/college ball in general

I was listening on SiriusXM on my drive home, and they didn’t even announce the Kings picking Acuff.

One of the hosts was like “Oh, and the Kings picked Acuff…”

You watched ESPN’s draft coverage and what did you expect? That’s like going to Burger King and being disappointed you got burger king

They refused to acknowledge the trades! They would talk about the pick’s fit with the team they had been traded FROM and not the team they had been traded to….It made 0 sense, low effort, meaningless insight

I watched the game theory stream and they actually talked about every pick much better use of my time.

Head to head vs World Cup. Ratings were going to be low regardless with only diehards tuning in. As a result, not worth making effort into production.

ESPN only cares about NFL, WWE and NBA season, not the NBA off season which Includes the draft

Yup getting worse and worse

Why is this a surprise, it’s ESPN. As a hockey fan as well, they’re a laughing stock for having the worst commentators with poor insight and knowledge. Always dread watching any game that’s exclusively on their network.

I listened to the Game Theory podcast all night. They did the exact opposite of what you just described. I was very impressed.

Idk why anyone would expect that group of people to actually know anything about the players

You mean everyone didn’t love Jay Bilas telling everyone Boozer was the best player in the draft for an hour .?

Those Lisa Salters interviews in a family room couch was for who? The sicko dad/bf forcing mom/gf to watch random tall guys hug people and put on a baseball hat for 2 hours. Lisa didn’t even talk to the mom half the time.

“Hey baby this is going to be you in 10-15 years. Our kid is going to be just like them. I’m going to coach the shit out of our kid just like that dad and you are going to be the millionaire mom - so save up and buy a nice dress”

Eh. Malik’s Andrew’s did really well. But they definitely leaned more into the entertainment aspect. See:Kendrick Perkins

Eh. Malik’s Andrew’s did really well. But they definitely leaned more into the entertainment aspect. See:Kendrick Perkins

Idk, this was my first time watching the full draft night live and the Malika/Legler cast were surprisingly decent.

It was embarrassingly bad, I heard nothing of substance the entire time

I pray they never get sole rights to the nfl draft

You have to stop watching broadcast TV and seek out independent creators. Those YT channels are the hustlers who love the game and will work to earn your views.

I cut the cord so I don’t pay/get ESPN. But I was able to watch a ESPN stream, NBA on ESPN, on Youtube for free. It had lesser ESPN heads doing draft analysis and predictions. Standard 2 former players, sports writer and hot chick reporter. It was better than nothing.

I loved watching them take selfies with the draft picks. Riveting television.

I always watch YouTubers I like live streaming the draft. You get actual discussion of basketball with them and no commercials. It’s crazy how bad it is.

The Youtube one was way way way better.

I watched the pick and then walked away to do other shit for 5 minutes. Then I’d come back for the next pick. Rinse. Repeat. The interviews were bad. The commentary was bad.

It was obvious these players have media training. The families do not. They had no idea how to answer the interview questions. It just made for bad tv.

Totally agree. Felt disorganized. The only one who really provided any semblance of analysis was RJ. Miss the old days …

They made Wemby and Bobby Marks do a podcast in the middle of the night to talk about the Giannis trade that happened in slow motion over six months. ESPN just wants people present to speak, make a sound bite, cut to commercial. They are less interested in having them say something relevant.

My favorite was when they traded picks they just said well it’s not going to this team but let’s keep talking about them anyway hahah

Imagine watching a draft and complaining

“What are you feeling right now” over and over again.

Yea I couldn’t watch it. I was excited to watch but all this bs about their lifestory was lame as hell. No basketball analysis or highlights of the playes, just some soap opera bs

yea the quality has gone down hill. i dont even recall seeing any highlights of the picks.

Enough with the interviews they don’t say anything.

Just stop watching ESPN and stop giving them any money or views. Only way to get any positive change. Just illegally stream if you gotta see it.

ESPN Youtube was decent with Shumpert and Windhorst

At least I now and forever know that Kenny Smith knew AJ Dybantsa’s dad

Heard the same thing over and over on each pick…great passer, can shoot, can get downhill, can see the court, etc etc

I watched the one with Malika. Overall it was fine. What makes me laugh is how sports analysts come up with these new immeasurable qualities to prescribe to draft prospects. The new one I’ve noticed they throw around a lot is “processing.” “He processes information in real time,” was one quote from Marks. Translation: his brain functions? Wtf is that?😂

Im not sure why people watch ESPN anymore. Theyve proven to be completely worthless the last 5 years. Such a shame for a channel that once dominated coverage of at least the major sports.

I’m def here the morning after trying to figure out what happened lol

It’s remarkable how much quality control ESPN has lost over the last 15 years.

The production quality was awful too. They decorated that little interview area straight from home goods

Others have said it but you watched the wrong broadcast. They have been doing this for a few years for the NFL and I guess started doing it with the NBA now.

ABC does more of a “human interest” type of draft that focuses on the people and the stories. ESPN does a more sports forward type of draft where they talk about the players and the teams more. Jay Bilas was giving really good analysis last night.

I thought it was weird as hell they made ament wear the heat hat

It’s always amazing to me how bad TL the networks all are at covering drafts in any sport.

The people watching the draft are nerds. We want analysis, fit with the team, comparable, development timelines, etc. but the networks try to cater it to more casual fans.

Casual fans aren’t watching the draft. So they manage to make a product that neither group wants to watch.

ESPN are trying to court the Olympic and World Cup viewers that don’t care about the sport but enjoy the ‘human stories’ and event aspect of the draft.

They dont care. Views are all that matter. Stop giving them views. 

The in arena interview right after their first interview is what triggered me the most especially when they decided to do another interview at the host desk so there was just constant background noise over everyone else talking

yeah I wasn’t sure why I barely paid attention this year but you’re right, it’s because I wasnt learning anything about the play style, basically zero highlights, nothing about fit (at least nothing accurate). Basically ruined it for me and I sat in my phone mostly.

It was like this for the NFL draft too. We may be cooked afa enjoying this the way we used to. Long gone are the days of the super fans attending live with their draft magazines and following along on a piece of paper.

There’s a lot of good draft content still online, but the presentation element of the event is a disaster right now.

There are better things to do with your life than watch the draft unless you’re picking like, top 5-7. And even then, just check in a pick or two before yours. Any actual analysis will come in the following days.

ESPN doesn’t do analysis, lol. It is entertainment.

They were just reading what AI wrote for them to say.

It’s dumb having 2 channels covering the draft with the same content and interviews. Only difference was one had women in it.

Why not have one of those broadcasts doing deep dive analysis with player highlights and breakdowns? The other one can cover the family aspect and feel good stuff.

This post is sponsored by DraftKings!

It sounds like you’re referring to ABC’s coverage. ESPN had a different crew covering the draft and they did provide more analysis.

Who was the bald guy with zero personality? He was terrible!

“Oh it’s certainly a family affair !!” Stuff is cringe as hell. They making this stuff for grand parents ?? Tell us what it means for the teams !!!

so you watched ABC, not espn lol.

Bro doesn’t know there were two broadcasts.

How does a post this ignorant (seriously who the fuck watched the draft on ABC?) get 1k upvotes? OP is just flat out uniformed and gets rewarded for it.

it was terrible. and the whole interview mic situation was atrocious.