While Monday typically marks the start of a new week, Garfield’s least favorite day served as the final stop on the NBA’s week-long unveiling of its new media rights package. And while the league didn’t quite save its best for last, Peacock’s premiere provided plenty of promise, especially when it comes to the NBC streamer’s top booth featuring Noah Eagle, Robbie Hummel and Austin Rivers.
While Eagle is already an established commodity — which seems crazy to say about someone who is just 28 years old — Monday marked Hummel and Rivers’ most significant assignment as NBA analysts to date. And despite drawing a blowout in the form of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 116-95 throttling of the Detroit Pistons, the trio shone as one of the brightest spots in this brand new world of NBA rights.
Buoyed by their youthful energy — the trio lays claim to an average age of just over 32 years old —Eagle, Hummel and Rivers brought a new perspective to calling an NBA game that their counterparts at NBC, ESPN and Prime Video can’t claim. For Hummel, that came in the form of his focus on X’s and O’s, which has made him a rising star in the college ranks. For Rivers, it was his connection to the current crop of NBA players, who he is less than two years removed from playing alongside and against.
“Right now they’re talking about getting out in transition and organizing spacing. [Cavs coach] Kenny Atkinson wants to run, but he wants to run purposefully,” Rivers said as he reported from Cleveland’s bench during his first “On The Bench” segment. “So that whole timeout was pretty much allocated to that and me catching up with Larry Nance Jr.”
“So that whole timeout was allocated to that and me catching up with Larry Nance Jr.” 🤣
Hear from Austin Rivers and Robbie Hummel during their first official “On the Bench” segment.
📺 Peacock pic.twitter.com/QiwOoHi5vJ
— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) October 27, 2025
As far as the “On The Bench” segments were concerned, they likely weren’t as insightful as Peacock envisioned, but they also didn’t detract from the overall broadcast. If nothing else, it’s a format that’s certainly worth continuing to experiment with, especially for more closely contested games.
It’s also a credit to Eagle, Hummel and Rivers that you likely wouldn’t have known that none of them were stationed together throughout the game if not for on-camera shots that displayed their in-arena locations. The trio wasn’t just insightful, but also displayed a noticeable chemistry, which was likely easier said than done considering their setup.
Is this the best booth in the NBA today? Not quite, although it’s also easy to imagine it quickly becoming a fan favorite — especially if the “One The Bench” segments find their footing. Its debut also provided a strong bookend to a week’s worth of coverage that first kicked off with NBC’s highly anticipated return as a league rights partner.