Grading Every Starter So Far In New York Knicks vs. San Antonio Spurs 2026 NBA Finals
After surviving a furious fourth-quarter rally by Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, the New York Knicks won Game 2 of the NBA Finals, 105-104.
The series is now headed to New York with the Knicks holding a commanding 2-0 lead.
With a moment to breathe, now is as good a time as any to take stock of how the biggest stars have performed.
With the basic A-F scale so many of us know (and maybe didn't love), and with pre-series expectations considered, here's how all 10 starters have done so far.
Mikal Bridges: A
1 of 10
In terms of basic totals, Mikal Bridges had a quiet Game 1 with nine points, three rebounds and two assists. But his perimeter defense was consistent and solid. And he was a plus-11 in a 10-point win because of it.
In Game 2, though, Bridges' offense quickly became indispensable. He did a stellar job of moving without the ball and attacking closeouts when opportunities presented themselves. Above all else, he shot the cover off the ball.
Bridges made his first four threes on Friday and finished the game with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting.
Had he not found his rhythm as quickly as he did, the Spurs may well have run away with the game when they took an early double-digit lead. Bridges' shooting was crucial in keeping the Knicks within striking distance.
Julian Champagnie: B+
2 of 10
Julian Champagnie was very much a three-and-D specialist for the Spurs during the regular season, but he's had some playoff moments that made him look like a borderline star.
Those have been a little harder to come by against New York, especially in Game 2, when he had just eight points on 2-of-6 shooting.
But Champagnie drilled five threes in Game 1 and is shooting 46.7 percent from deep for the series. He's had a hand in Jalen Brunson's shooting struggles too (more on that later).
Since the first half of Wednesday's Game 1, Champagnie's impact certainly hasn't been off the charts, but he's having a good series for a role player of his caliber.
Josh Hart: B
3 of 10
If we'd hit the grade books after Game 1, Josh Hart would have an easy A+, despite finishing that contest with just three points on five shots.
With his nose for the ball, near-constant hustle and team-first approach, Hart checks just about every box but scoring. And that translated to 15 rebounds, six assists, four steals, a block and a team-high plus-22 in the plus-minus column.
But as it turns out, scoring is pretty important, and Hart's struggles on that front can make him prone to some pretty wild swings.
Without his shot falling and with his defense crossing the line a bit more often (at least in the eyes of the officials), Hart finished Game 2 with six rebounds, four assists, five fouls and exactly zero points on 0-of-4 shooting. He was minus-three in that one.
But it's hard to bump him any lower than a B. His effort level was no different than what he brought in Game 1. Sometimes, despite what the old saying suggests, the ball doesn't bounce to the guy working the hardest.
Devin Vassell: C+
4 of 10
Prior to the Finals, Devin Vassell was averaging 13.0 points and shooting 35.6 percent from deep in the playoffs.
Neither number is spectacular, but he'd only failed to hit double figures once. And his outside shooting felt like one of the postseason's bigger momentum shifters.
But in Game 1 against the Knicks, his shot wasn't dialed in, he finished with nine points and shot 1-of-6 from deep.
The impact bounced back toward pre-Finals levels in Game 2 (when he had 14 points and hit three threes), but he has to be more forceful and consistent for San Antonio to have any chance of pulling off the miraculous series comeback.
OG Anunoby: A-
5 of 10
OG Anunoby's numbers don't jump off the screen. He's scored 17 points in each of the two games against San Antonio, and he has a total of seven boards and three assists for the series.
But Anunoby's defense has been rock-solid, and he's made some of the biggest individual plays of the Finals.
Two came at critical junctures of the games.
In Game 1, with New York clinging to a late two-point lead, Anunoby found himself isolated on Victor Wembanyama, hit him with a series of jab steps and then drilled a three over the top of the league's most feared shot-blocker.
Then, in Game 2, he started with the same matchup and from the same corner. This time, he went right around Wemby, used his body to ward off the chase-down block attempt and finished at the rim.
In matchup this tightly contested, individual moments can go a long way toward swinging the series one way or the other. And Anunoby is proving more than up to the task of creating those.
De'Aaron Fox: B-
6 of 10
There's probably a handful of fans out there who caught Game 1, missed Game 2, and then are surprised to see De'Aaron Fox passing this exam.
After he had seven points on 3-of-13 shooting on Wednesday, it was fair to wonder if his ankle was still hurt or if the lights might be a little too bright in his first deep playoff run.
But he made up for the dud on Friday, when he had 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting, handed out five assists, hit both of his three-point attempts and was plus-2 in a one-point loss.
Fox pretty clearly won his matchup with Brunson in Game 2, which makes the loss all the more dejecting. Coming into the series, most would've guessed San Antonio would cruise in any contests in which Fox outplayed Brunson.
Karl-Anthony Towns: A+
7 of 10
Karl-Anthony Towns should be the biggest story of this series so far.
He's already spent most of the playoffs completely flipping the script on his legacy, and he's unquestionably outplaying Wemby to this point in the series.
In Game 1, Wembanyama shot 2-of-12 from the field when KAT was his primary defender. In Game 2, Towns was scorching from the field and finished with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting. For the series, he's outrebounding the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year.
For a player who's long been maligned for postseason performances and some of his head-scratching decisions that came in them, it's pretty remarkable that Towns is now the cagey, steady vet who's winning his minutes with decision-making as much as talent.
Throughout the playoffs, he was arguably New York's best player because of his passing and timely shooting. This series, it's his defense that's setting him apart.
Prior to this run, neither skill was the first one anyone would associate with KAT.
Stephon Castle: C
8 of 10
Stephon Castle is 21 years old. He's often been thrust into a bit more playmaking responsibility than he's probably earned because of Fox's struggles with his ankle.
But a handful of fans likely would've considered Castle the Spurs' second-best player headed into this series, and he simply hasn't been good enough for San Antonio to win it.
Castle's aggressive, physical defense is always present when he's on the floor, but his shaky shooting and passing have led to an even 40 field-goal percentage, a 33 three-point percentage, and he has nearly as many turnovers (six) as assists (seven).
The learning curve can be steep for young NBA players in the playoffs. For the most part, the Spurs have bucked that trend. But at least on offense, the lack of experience is finally starting to show up for Castle.
Jalen Brunson: B-
9 of 10
Brunson had a spectacular fourth quarter in Game 1. In just under eight minutes, he scored 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting and led the Knicks to the double-digit win.
But that burst came after an uneven start (and then some), and he finished an eek-worthy 12-of-31 from the field, while totaling twice as many turnovers (four) as assists (two).
Then, in Game 2, he went 7-of-25 from the field and was tied with Mitchell Robinson for the worst plus-minus on the team at minus-10.
Most surprisingly, Brunson hit multiple open looks in the fourth quarter and missed a critical free throw prior to San Antonio's last possession.
In short, Brunson looks to be seriously bothered by the size and athleticism of the Spurs' perimeter defenders. They've generally held him well below his typical level of play.
But the Knicks probably wouldn't have won that first game without his fourth-quarter heroics. And despite the rough go in the clutch on Friday, he did drill a nasty fadeaway to tie the game with under a minute to go.
Victor Wembanyama: C-
10 of 10
Wemby is the best individual player in this series. He just finished third in MVP voting. And for most of this postseason, fans and analysts all over the world have rushed to proclaim him the best player in the world.
But he's losing his individual matchup to KAT. He shot 6-of-21 from the field in Game 1 and turned the ball over six times. He had 29 points in Game 2, but he missed three free throws and had twice as many turnovers (four) as assists (two), and he had the play of the game (in a bad way) with just over 10 seconds to play.
After Brunson missed a potential go-ahead bucket, Wemby grabbed the board and threw an outlet pass to Castle. There was just one problem. Castle had no idea it was coming. The outlet bounced off his back, Brunson grabbed it, and the Spurs were forced to foul.
For the series, Wembanyama is averaging 27.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks, but he's shooting 40.5 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from deep.
And the mental lapses, like the missed free throws, the errant outlet and his shot selection in general (he's been far too reliant on jumpers), could haunt him if the Spurs lose this series.
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