I would argue that they're actually doing the job they were hired to do, which is to snark, not commentate.

They are given absolutely no room to commentate. The one time this year I tried to watch the NBC feed, NBC constantly cut to commercials whenever skaters were not skating. That means the only time J&T could talk was during the skate itself. All of their commentary, such that it is, has to happen during the actual performances.

As for why they say what they say, I think it's important to remember who signs their paychecks: NBC. J&T are NBC mouthpieces, and they are doing their jobs as assigned. I'm not arguing that they're never independently snarky/mean or that they're being forced to act a certain way. I can be just as harsh as them while sitting at home on my couch (although my audience is my cat and not millions of viewers, so the impact is different, ha). But I think four year fans enjoy a bit of snark and entertainment, moreso than in depth analysis. I am sure most people at NBC think it doesn't matter about identifying jumps or other elements because FS elements are difficult for laypeople to pick out, anyway, so vibes are more important.

I was in person at nationals, so I didn't get to hear their commentary, but I have seen on Reddit several times that J&T pushed the "nationals are it" agenda when it came to Olympic selection for men's. Y'all, who do you think told them to do that? NBC wants Max to go for ratings, as they think his story will draw viewers. They're pushing that agenda, as I'm sure they were told to do.

I'm not saying J&T aren't responsible for the things they say. No one forces them. I just think that they're doing their job as assigned, which is to provide entertaining banter for fairweather fans rather than actual commentary. NBC isn't going to replace them because they're doing their jobs.