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Peacock Will Have Analysts on the Bench During NBA Games, Listening in on Huddles
By Kyle Pagan
Published:
Peacock will have analysts on the bench during NBA games this season to listen in on huddles during timeouts and give fans inside access, with respect to the sanctity of the game of course:
STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 16, 2025 – NBC Sports announced today the debut of “On the Bench,” a production innovation to be used exclusively for games streaming on Peacock NBA Monday that dedicates one analyst to each team and positions that analyst courtside with their team. The unique approach and unprecedented access allow each commentator to cover the game through the lens of the team they’re assigned.
An industry first, “On the Bench” will be used exclusively for the 23 Peacock NBA Monday games this season. Rather than sitting next to the play-by-play voice, the analysts will be positioned near the assistant coaches of their assigned team during the action, listening in on huddles and timeouts, and delivering information straight from the bench. Each analyst will also be immersed with their team leading up to the game, spending time at shootarounds, and speaking with players and coaches during pregame locker room availability.
“Never before has a game featured an analyst dedicated exclusively to each team with such unparalleled access,” said Sam Flood, Executive Producer, NBC Sports. “Each analyst will be dedicated to telling the story of the game through the lens of their team. At the same time, we will respect the sanctity of the inside information our analysts are able to hear but will always strive to give the audience unique insights that only this type of access can provide. We’re grateful to the NBA and its teams for their vision and faith in our ability to provide this first-of-its-kind coverage.”
NBC’s analysts on the bench will be led by Austin Rivers and Robbie Hummel and the Bird is hoping to replicate their NHL coverage when they had Pierre McGuire between the benches.
My god. Imagine the gold we’re going to get from Doc Rivers this year with the bench analysts:
“Lets go over to Robbie Hummel on the Bucks sideline. Robbie.”
“Ughhh, during that timeout Doc Rivers just stared blankly at his players and tried to inspire them by repeatedly saying, “Come on.” over and over again. Down 20 we’ll see if this is the spark the Bucks need. Back to you, Noah.”
This will be cool if the analysts actually provide useful information. I don’t know if I’ve ever really understood the sideline reporter if we’re being honest. They typically just give canned quotes from coaches that don’t really want to talk or they make shit up. They provide injury updates that most of us get in real-time on Twitter. I’m not going to act like I watch a ton of hockey so I don’t know if McGuire was a vital asset to the broadcast or not. I feel like the optics are going to look weird with Noah Eagle just hanging by himself at the table all game. Do Rivers and Hummel chime in to offer their thoughts on a play or is it just Eagle doing play-by-play the entire time? But hey, I’m all for trying something new on the broadcast to change up the pace a little. We’ll probably have a couple viral moments from the season due to these huddles until Adam Silver shuts that shit down immediately. The best we can hope for is an errant pass hits Austin Rivers in the face and we get to recreate this on a hot mic:
Sidenote: I was having this conversation in Slack the other day with the guys when the question asked was, “Which has more nepotism? Sports broadcasting or coaching?” It’s gotta be coaching just by the sheer amount of coaches there are in the four major sports, but broadcasting gives it a run for the money. We’ve got Ian Eagle’s kid throwing it over to Doc Rivers’ boy on the same broadcast. Cris Collinsworth’s partner throwing it to Jac Collinsworth during the pregame. There’s Kenny Albert, Joe Buck, Mike Golic’s kid, there’s like 15 Caray’s calling games, Harry Kalas’ kid calls games. Nepotism in the sports broadcasting world makes it look like the NFL has integrity. In coaching though it’s crazy. USA Today did a study in 2022 and it turns out 13% of NFL coaches, almost 100 coaches, had a father, son, or brother who is a current NFL coach. It’s all about who you know. I could be coaching the Birds right now if my god damn dad knew what a Cover 2 was. I really don’t care how people get jobs in this world I’ll just catch myself saying, “Wait. Another one?” when a newly minted young face pops up on the broadcast with the title card saying “Herbstreit” in a couple years.
P.S. How long until Tom Brady pitches this to his bosses at FOX? AYYYYOOOOO (I’ll see myself out).
Kinkead: I do think having the bench guys be former players is meaningful. They should know where the line is, like what’s fair game and what’s not.
Kyle writes blog posts and does Man on the Street-style videos all around Philadelphia. He graduated from Temple University (a basketball school) in 2015. contact: k.pagan@sportradar.com