Advertisement - scroll for more content
Eddie Sefko: Asked ESPN draft expert Jay Bilas what a reasonable expectation for Cooper Flagg is: "Reasonable expectations? I don’t know why you have to be reasonable. Why does the sky have to be the limit. There’s stuff beyond the sky." More from the NBA draft coming on mavs . com.
ESPN executives will debate what is next, according to sources, with one discussion likely centering around if they feel Burke is better on a two-person team as opposed to the three-person team. ESPN’s other NBA game analysts this season were Tim Legler, Jay Bilas and Cory Alexander. This new team puts Breen in the middle of trying to find the magic that he had with Van Gundy and Jackson. Breen is one of the best NBA play-by-players ever and has called the most Finals on TV, but there has been a hole in his game for two seasons.
Ryan Glasspiegel: Glass Break: Kevin Negandhi will host the NBA Draft lottery for first time in Chicago at 7pm ET Monday on ESPN (before Celtics-Knicks Game 4). Shams Charania will also be network insider for first time on program. Main set analysts: Bob Myers, Kendrick Perkins, Jay Bilas
Grant Hill, Richard Jefferson, Tim Legler and Jay Bilas are atop ABC/ESPN’s list to join Mike Breen and Doris Burke as part of its top broadcast crew for the NBA Finals, sources briefed on the network’s plans said Friday. While ESPN could choose to stay with a two-person booth of Breen and Burke, ideally they would like to create a three-person setup for the long run.
Advertisement
Along with the two-year-old G League Ignite, the NBA-sponsored team that signs high school graduates and tutors them for one year before they become eligible for the draft, Overtime has shown it can be a “disruptor” to the NCAA, said Jay Bilas, the ESPN college basketball analyst. “I wouldn’t call them any sort of existential threat to the NCAA system because they’re not going to be taking all of the players,” Bilas said. “But they’ll be taking some of the top players, and that is certainly going to impact the college game.” Because Overtime has yet to sell its live media rights for game broadcasts, wanting to first build its social following, it registers most with its young fans. On TikTok, Overtime’s general account has 19 million followers and Overtime Elite’s account surpassed 1 million in May — more than 25 NBA teams.
There are plenty of people across the basketball world -- including some within the Warriors -- who don't believe Davion Mitchell is worthy of being selected No. 7 overall in next week's NBA draft. College basketball analyst Jay Bilas -- who also covers the draft for ESPN -- is not a member of that camp. "He's unbelievably explosive -- just blows by people to get to the rim, shoots well over 40 percent from three, is good in pick-and-roll situations and he's a magnificent defender," Bilas recently told Warriors radio announcer Tim Roye. "Really impacts the ball better than any defender in this draft. "Plays his tail off. Fail is a hard word to use, but some guys fail in the NBA. He's not going to [fail]. His heart is gigantic. He's a worker and I think he'll be a big-time player."
ESPN reporter Malika Andrews, widely lauded for her work as a reporter inside the league’s restarted season bubble, will make her debut as the draft telecast reporter. Maria Taylor, who recently made her debut as an NFL sideline reporter, held the role in 2018 and 2019. Along with Andrews, Rece Davis will return to host ESPN’s coverage alongside a panel of analysts including Jay Bilas, Jay Williams and Mike Schmitz.
ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas appears to disagree with the notion that a program — even an upper-echelon program such as Kentucky — will send players to the NBA. Calipari took exception with Bilas' comments at a press conference held after this year's NBA draft. "I don't agree," he said. "What about Tyler Herro? What about Eric Bledsoe?"
Williamson, with his rare combination of size, strength, speed and skill packed into a 6-foot-7, 285-pound frame, has captured the attention of college basketball and captivated NBA executives. "There’s never been a player like him to play basketball,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas told USA TODAY Sports. “Not to say he’s the best player I’ve ever seen, but I’ve never seen anyone like him, I know that. All you have to do is watch him to know that this guy is different.”
Advertisement
Jay Bilas, a college basketball analyst for ESPN, ranks Sexton higher than Young. “I think Collin Sexton is overall the best point guard prospect in the draft,” Bilas said during a conference call with journalists.
The NBA is limping to the finish line. The summer brings problems real and perceived. The postseason has been littered with blowouts and void of competitive drama. The regular season was largely unsatisfying, even with the record-breaking Warriors. The league’s most influential voice (Charles Barkley) called the on-court product “the worst I’ve ever seen it.” What do your eyes tell you? “It sounds so old-man ridiculous to me,” ESPN basketball analyst Jay Bilas said. “Everything gets better in America except basketball players. I’m telling you … if the stopwatch had never been invented, they would be arguing that Jesse Owens was faster than Usain Bolt. Or that Mark Spitz swam faster than Michael Phelps. And it just doesn’t make any sense.”
As a guy who is interested in journalism are there any NBA writers you really like? I like Zach Lowe. I like Bill Simmons. I like Jalen Rose. I guess he's not really writing, but I like his style of analysis. I like Jay Bilas. I like Jay Williams. I like a lot of guys.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement