Please Put Tim Legler On TV More, ESPN

I’m going to let you in on a little secret as someone who has access to website traffic: People like different things when it comes to NBA content. There are, of course, plenty of basketball fans who want to listen to really in-depth, rich, and incisive commentary from folks who can explain the nitty gritty of professional basketball, the ones who read every single word from the best minds in the game in an effort to become the smartest possible fan. But sometimes, it’s 1:29 a.m. EST and you just want to hear Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal roast the city of Galveston, Texas.

It works like anything else, where going too far in one direction or the other can be a problem — there are certainly nights when Chuck or Shaq’s approach can rub people the wrong way, for example. The secret is to try and find the right combination for your network/outlet/audience and do that to the best of your ability.

And yet, ESPN’s never seemed to figure out what, exactly, is the best approach for its basketball coverage, as its hoops programming for years has never been quite right. You’re almost certainly aware of what the arguments against it are: Too star-focused at the expense of smaller markets/lesser heralded players. Too motivated by breaking down what Giannis Antetokounmpo sneezing on the bench means for his future in Milwaukee. Too much time spent on how Stephen A. Smith is a Knicks fan and how that has caused eternal suffering for him. Too much time spent on how Stephen A. Smith, despite the aforementioned eternal suffering, believes that Stars A, B, C, D, etc. should all join the Knicks.

Their shows, particularly their pregame show NBA Countdown, have always wanted to look for an answer. Over the years, the hosts have changed, the pundits have changed, and through all of it, the sense that it could be better remains. And then, the games end, and ESPN’s best NBA analyst goes to work.

Tim Legler has been with the Worldwide Leader in Sports since the Clinton administration, as he was hired back in 2000 and has used those two-plus decades to establish himself as an authoritative voice in the league. In addition to his work for ESPN, Legler has SiriusXM radio and podcast responsibilities where he once again shines.

The thing that makes Legler so good is that his ability to watch a game, break down the details in a way that anyone can understand, and (the most important part, in my opinion) add historical context that applies to the specific teams and players who he is talking about in a given segment. The above clip is a great example of that, as he expressed his long-held belief that the Celtics shouldn’t break up Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and that the pair have really grown as players who compliment one another on the offensive end of the floor in specific ways. It is the sort of thing that you can only say and elaborate on when you’ve poured the time and the focus into making sure that when you’re put in front of a microphone, you can speak on the subject as well as anyone.

Legler doesn’t just do this for prominent teams like the Celtics. If you listen to him speak on any team, it’s clear that he wants to make sure he can give an informed opinion on the Charlotte Hornets just as easily as he can the Los Angeles Lakers. In a recent interview with Ryen Russillo, he claimed that he was in meetings all year pushing for more Indiana Pacers coverage on television based on how their style of play captivated him. This dedication came through when he called a game between the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves, too, as the care and attention, particularly when he was able to look at something and immediately figure out the most effective way to explain it, was on full display.

There are plenty of people in the basketball media game who make these sorts of observations and convey them clearly and effectively, Legler is just one who is in ESPN’s ecosystem and could immediately improve shows like NBA Countdown, which has long felt like it prioritizes Smith being the centerpiece over everything else. A major part of this is an issue of time commitment — this piece by my colleague Robby Kalland is a few years old, but it does get to the heart of why the network’s halftime show is not good enough — and goes much deeper than the talent.

But it’s not hard to understand that a huge reason Inside the NBA is the best sports show of all time revolves around a mix of chemistry and the right personalities. It’s a rock solid host and three supremely charismatic former players who are given the freedom and the time to let things go in whatever direction they want. ESPN has the rock solid host (Malika Andrews is one of the best point guards you’ll find on television), but their current NBA Countdown crew is two journalists-turned-pundits (Smith, Michael Wilbon) and an agent-turned-executive who (Bob Myers). Adrian Wojnarowski is the best insider in the game, and his segments are usually informative, but that can only provide so much.

If the decision was made to give Legler more of a platform — assuming he wants one, which is a gigantic caveat here — he’d immediately make that show better, as he can bring insights as a seasoned analyst and a former player that Countdown just lacks right now. There are other current and former players, either on the network’s roster (Chiney Ogwumike, for example, is a breath of fresh air) or elsewhere in the media game, who could be smart additions and help shape the overall tone/voice of a pregame show, and who knows if any of the Inside guys become attainable in the coming years should Turner lose media rights as expected.

On that note: With the NBA media landscape looking like it’s going to change in a big way over the next few years, ESPN is going to either freshen things up, or keep doing what it’s doing while Amazon and NBC presumably enter the space and try to put together programming that fans find more compelling. We’d find ourselves back in this very spot, wondering why the most prominent sports network on the planet is leaving meat on the bone with one of its highest-profile properties. And a really good way to avoid that is to take their best analyst and give him a more prominent role.