The NBA Finals will be filled with fresh faces. Both the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks are made up of players who haven’t appeared on this stage before. It’s an exciting time for the league, as the Spurs look to begin a new dynasty with Victor Wembanyama at the helm, and the Knicks look to win their first NBA Championship since 1994.
Right now, the Spurs are -198 favorites to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy on FanDuel. Which team ends up doing that will come down to the performances of their
best players. These teams are loaded with talent. But which players rise to the top? Let’s break down the top-10 players in the NBA Finals.
1. Victor Wembanyama
The Western Conference Finals MVP will headline these NBA Finals. The 22-year-old Frenchman has been dominant. Over the course of the playoffs, Wembanyama is averaging 23.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 51% from the field and 37% from three. He’s proven that even in his first playoff run, he may be the best player in the league. His biggest impact in this series will likely come on the defensive end, as the Knicks feast in the paint and on the boards. If Wembanyama can own the paint, he’ll give the Spurs a major advantage.
2. Jalen Brunson
Brunson is writing himself into New York lore. He’s the best modern Knick, and may go down as one of the best New York athletes in history if he can bring home an NBA Championship. He’s scoring 26.9 points per game on 48.6% shooting from the field and 35.2% from three. That last stat is perhaps the most important. Brunson will be able to hurt the Spurs with his pull-up three-point shooting. It’s a shot that they’ve been prone to giving up in their drop pick-and-roll coverage. Brunson’s pull-up shooting from three and in the mid-range is a major factor in this series.
3. Karl-Anthony Towns
Towns is the type of player who can create big problems for the Spurs. He’s big, strong, and can shoot the three. Towns is averaging 16.9 points and 10.6 rebounds (2.6 of them offensive) while shooting 48.9% from three in the playoffs. The Knicks have used him as a hub for their offense and have thrived as a result. Towns has to stay out of foul trouble and hold up defensively against a physical Spurs team. If Wembanyama guards him, Towns will likely try to pull him out of the paint. If Stephon Castle guards him, as he did in the regular season, Towns will have a chance to bully the Spurs inside. How the Spurs decide to guard KAT is one of the more interesting strategic decisions in the Finals.
4. OG Anunoby
This was the first tough decision on the list. It’s very close between Anunoby and Castle for the fourth-best player in the series. The edge goes to Anunoby, who has been one of the Knicks’ best scorers this postseason, averaging 19.7 points on 57.7% shooting from the field and 48.3% from three. He’s accomplished that all while being their best perimeter defender. Anunoby may also find himself guarding Wembanyama a bit, as he did in the regular season. He’s a big, strong, agile wing who can hold his own against bigger players. Anunoby is an X-factor in this series just based on his defensive prowess. If he also continues to score the ball at a high level, he gives the Knicks a significant advantage.
5. Stephon Castle
After a run of three-straight Knicks, we finally have a Spur rounding out the top-five players in the series. Wembanyama has a huge gap between him and Brunson, but the margin between Castle and Anunoby is slim. Castle has emerged as the Spurs’ second-best player in the postseason with his lockdown defense and aggressive driving. He’s averaging 19.2 points and 6.7 assists while shooting 36.3% from deep in the postseason. The keys for him in this series are to keep spacing the floor with his shooting, reduce his turnovers (averaging 3.7 in the playoffs), and guard without fouling. He will likely be asked to take on several different tough defensive matchups against New York, switching between banging with Towns inside and chasing Brunson around screens on the perimeter.
6. De’Aaron Fox
Which version of Fox will we see in the NBA Finals? If it’s the Fox we saw explode for big scoring nights against the Portland Trail Blazers, he should be higher on this list. If his ankle injury still restricts him, as it did against the Oklahoma City Thunder, then he could actually be too high. Fox will be key to the Spurs’ offensive attack. He’s going to face tough matchups like Josh Hart or Mikal Bridges, who will have the length and speed to keep up with his quick attacks to the basket and contest his mid-range shots. Even if Fox’s scoring doesn’t return to his heights from the first round, he still has a role to play as a steadying hand for San Antonio. They’ll need him to be a leader against a tough Knicks defense.
7. Mikal Bridges
Bridges has been up and down for the Knicks in the postseason. He started the playoffs ice-cold from the field, but he has caught fire lately. He’s averaging 14.6 points on 58.6% shooting from the field and 34.1% from deep. New York needs him to hit threes in this series. He’ll likely have some open opportunities as the Spurs send a lot of defensive attention at Towns, Brunson, and Anunoby. Bridges is an ace-in-the-hole defensively for the Knicks. He provides some matchup issues for the Spurs with his length and athleticism. He’ll likely guard the Spurs guards, who will try to get their bodies into Bridges to counter his length.
8. Dylan Harper
Harper is the only non-starter in the top-10, and for good reason. He’s looked years ahead of where he should be as a 20-year-old guard in his first postseason. Harper is averaging 13.1 points off the bench while shooting 52.5% from the field and 36.4% from deep. He’s competing defensively and has been a force on the glass. Harper struggled through an adductor injury in the WCF, but now looks to be back to near full health. He should create some issues for the Knicks’ smaller bench backcourt. With rebounding being so critical in this series, Harper’s ability to crash the offensive glass should help the Spurs make up for their size disadvantage against New York.
9. Devin Vassell
You need great glue guys to win a championship. The last two players on this list fit the bill. Vassell was excellent in the WCF, knocking down big shots while making clutch defensive plays. Vassell’s defensive effort has been the biggest development for the Spurs this postseason. He’s had tough defensive assignments, like Anthony Edwards and Chet Holmgren, and risen to the occasion every single time. He’s been active in the passing lanes (1.4 steals per game) and made some highlight blocks. He’ll once again have to take on a difficult defensive assignment in the Finals, trying to guard players like Anunoby and Brunson. San Antonio needs him to hit shots and continue defending his tail off if they want to take home a championship.
10. Josh Hart
Hart isn’t going to wow anyone with his box score stats, but he does a lot of the little things that make a team great. He rebounds the ball, hustles on defense, and is a high-level passer. Whatever the Knicks need him to do, he does with intensity. The Spurs will force him to make three-pointers in the Finals. Hart is shooting just 30.3% in the postseason. If he makes open threes, the Spurs’ defensive scheme becomes even more difficult to execute. If he doesn’t, San Antonio can treat him like they did non-shooters in other series, leaving him open while Wembanyama roams the paint to block shots.
