Local NBA announcer rankings: Rockets blast up six spots, again

Earlier this decade, the Houston Rockets went through a period of transition with their television broadcast crew. In many ways, the timeline corresponded with the team’s rebuild on the court.

Before the 2021-22 season, Ryan Hollins took over the analyst role next to veteran play-by-play broadcaster Craig Ackerman. Meanwhile, Vanessa Richardson was named courtside reporter prior to the 2022-23 campaign.

Now, with a few years of continuity together on Space City Home Network broadcasts, the improvements in chemistry and cohesion are visible to the audience.

Just as the on-court product has improved — after four non-winning seasons to start the decade, the Rockets went 52-30 and made the playoffs in each of the past two years — the experience of watching those games is clearly more enjoyable, as well.

That data point is shown in Awful Announcing’s annual reader poll of regional NBA broadcast crews, where the Rockets finished 11th out of 30 teams. Their analysis:

The Rockets’ broadcast continues to rocket up the rankings, with a six-spot jump for the second straight season. That growth was reflected in many comments about how they’re one of the most improved crews in the league. Ackerman and Hollins have “found a great rhythm,” and Richardson is “widely considered the best sideline reporter in the game.”

Some graders appreciated that while they are “very passionate” announcers, they call games “without losing their objectivity.” As one person put it, “the perfect combination of hometown love and reasonable objectivity.”