Brunson or Wemby: Who tops our rankings of the pla...

playWill Mitchell Robinson be limited in the NBA Finals? (1:26) An NBA postseason highlighted by breakout performances, Game 7 thrillers and more than a few upsets has reached its last chapter: The Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks. San Antonio is seeking its first championship since 2014 after winning 62 games during the regular season and dethroning the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals. New York, ringless since 1973, won 53 games and the NBA Cup before breezing through the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 12-2 run. As the conference champions prepare to collide, let's rank all 30 players eligible to play in the NBA Finals. Note: These rankings reflect performance and availability during the 2025-26 regular season and postseason, plus known medical issues. Playoff stats: 23.2 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 2.7 APG, 2.5 BPG, 51.0% FG, 37.0% 3-pt Wembanyama's first postseason run has been legendary: The 2023 No. 1 overall pick leads all players in Player Efficiency Rating, Win Shares, rebounds and blocks. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tim Duncan, Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson are the only players to match his postseason stats -- 23.2 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.5 blocks -- in runs of 10 or more games. But Wembanyama's resolve has been as impressive as his production. Young stars usually need time to acclimate to playoff intensity, but the 22-year-old has reached the Finals despite suffering a head injury in the first round, getting ejected for a flagrant elbow in the second round and falling behind 3-2 against the Thunder in the Western Conference finals. Remarkably, the Spurs were plus-62 with Wembanyama on the court and minus-36 when he was off it against Oklahoma City. Everything is on the table for Wembanyama over the next three weeks: He could lead the Spurs to their first championship of the post-Duncan era, become the second-youngest Finals MVP in history and solidify his standing as the best basketball player in the world. Playoff stats: 26.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 6.6 APG, 0.9 SPG, 48.6% FG, 35.2% 3-pt Brunson's transformative impact on the Knicks goes well beyond the numbers, but the "Before Brunson" and "After Brunson" splits have reached eye-popping status. After winning just one playoff series between 2001 and 2022, the Knicks have won seven series in Brunson's four-year run. The point guard's 35 playoff wins since 2022 rank second among players with at least one All-Star selection, and he just led the Knicks on the most dominant run to the Finals by an Eastern Conference team since the NBA instituted its current playoff format in 2003. A perceived lack of size caused Brunson to slip into the second round of the 2018 draft and fueled some doubts about his ability to emerge as a franchise player when he left the Dallas Mavericks. Now the 6-foot-2 floor general now has the chance to join Stephen Curry (6-foot-2), Tony Parker (6-foot-2) and Isiah Thomas (6-foot-1) among the shortest Finals MVP winners in league history. The Knicks are back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, and they'll face the same opponent they did then, the Spurs. Watch the NBA Finals on ABC and the ESPN app. Game 1: June 3 at Spurs Game 2: June 5 at Spurs Game 3: June 8 at Knicks Game 4: June 10 at Knicks Game 5*: June 13 at Spurs Game 6*: June 16 at Knicks Game 7*: June 19 at Spurs * if necessary All games tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET. Playoff stats: 16.9 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 5.9 APG, 1.4 BPG, 57.2% FG, 48.9% 3-pt This was the dream when the Knicks traded for Towns right before the 2024-25 season: The 2015 No. 1 pick has supercharged New York's offense with his floor spacing and distribution skills. With Towns facilitating more than ever, the Knicks' league-best 123.3 offensive rating in the playoffs has jumped 4.6 points above their regular-season standard. Towns ranks second to Wembanyama in Player Efficiency and Win Shares among players with at least 10 games logged during the 2026 playoffs, and his defensive limitations have yet to cost the Knicks in a meaningful way. That could change in the Finals if his propensity for committing cheap fouls comes back to bite New York. Playoff stats: 19.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 6.7 APG, 1.0 SPG, 48.1% FG, 36.3% 3-pt Castle is two valuable archetypes rolled into one player: a relentless off-the-dribble attacker capable of collapsing opposing defenses, and a fierce on-ball perimeter stopper who savors the toughest assignments. The second-year guard has stepped up to provide additional scoring with teammates De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper battling injuries, and he helped hold two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander well below his regular-season averages during the West finals. There is one catch: Castle has battled turnover issues throughout the playoffs, particularly against Oklahoma City's swarming schemes. In his defense, he has offset his giveaways by leading the NBA in total assists this postseason. Playoff stats: 19.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.6 SPG, 57.7%

Brunson or Wemby: Who tops our rankings of the pla...

Key takeaways

More in sports