The NBA Draft takes place this Thursday on ESPN, and a new face will be among the regulars on the NBA’s biggest night.
According to SI’s Richard Deitsch, Jay Williams will take Bill Simmons’ spot at the desk, joining Rece Davis, Jay Bilas, and Jalen Rose.
ESPN, of course, is hoping its show holds your attention. The draft will air Thursday at 7 p.m. ET, the 13th consecutive year the network has hosted the event, which this year comes from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The main set group has changed from last year. Holdovers Bilas, host Rece Davis and Jalen Rose will be joined by college basketball analyst Jay Williams, who replaces the former ESPN commentator Bill Simmons. ESPN NBA analyst Tom Penn will once again offer a front office perspective, while the always-excellent Fran Fraschilla is the point person on the international players. Heather Cox will work as a green room reporter while college basketball insiders Andy Katz and Jeff Goodman will report news and information on site. Last year Williams interviewed players after they were selected. This year that role shifts to Shannon Spake. The coverage will include three remote reporters embedded with different teams, including Brian Windhorst with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Ramona Shelburne with the Los Angeles Lakers and Chris Broussard with the New York Knicks. The Knicks and Lakers holding high picks should help viewership early given the size of those markets. There are also a lot of players slated for the first 15 section from elite college programs with large fan bases.
Williams is coming over from his job as a studio analyst on ESPN’s college basketball coverage, and can provide quality insight, having been a top selection himself.