Mock Draft Monday 6/1 '26
Gyalchester
Gyalchester
- NBA Finals Preview
- NBA Draft ‘26 Propspects
-YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
Today’s tune is Drake’s Gyalchester, as it’s the next in line in his discography.
Gyalchester is not a real place, but a nickname. “Gyal” in Jamaican means girl, while the “chester” reference is Manchester.
On to the ball…
The NBA Finals tip off Game 1 on Wednesday at 8:30 PM ET on ABC as the New York Knicks head to San Antonio to take on the Spurs.
NBA Finals Preview
New York and San Antonio technically played each other three times this season, with the Knicks taking two of three, including the NBA Preseason Cup. The last time the Knicks reached the NBA Finals, they faced off against the Spurs in 1999. San Antonio took that series in 5 games, as Tim Duncan and David Robinson were too much. For Tim Duncan and his coach Greg Popovich, ‘99 would be five NBA titles together. The Spurs are back in the NBA Finals for the first time since their last title in 2014. Historically, the Spurs have reached the NBA Finals six times and won five championships, while the Knicks have reached the Finals eight times (1951-1999) but have won only two championships.
Guards
Edge: Draw
Jalen Brunson may be the best guard in this NBA Finals matchup, but the Spurs backcourt as a whole can make up for the gap. De’Aaron Fox is considered the experienced vet of the Spurs' starting rotation, but he has only one more playoff series under his belt than his peers. Since Brunson has joined the Knicks, he’s faced off with Fox in seven matchups, outscoring his 28.4 to 19.2 points per game. The Stephon Castle and Josh Hart matchup should get scrappy right off the bat based on how similar they play. Both guards play above their height in the paint, are exceptional rebounders, are dared into taking jump shots, and play with a ton of hustle. Castle may be a bit more talented, but can be a bit more reckless, whereas Hart has the experience to know his limitations. For Dylan Harper, this has to be a pretty surreal homecoming. The 20-year-old rookie grew up in Franklin Lakes, NJ, attended Don Bosco Prep, and spent last season with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Although he’s just a kid and not quite ready for full-time PG duties, Harper has flashed in big-time moments like the 4th Quarter of Game 7 on Saturday. Harper’s bench energy will be paired up against Landry Shamet. The 8-year vet had to sign a 1-year veteran minimum deal with the Knicks this past offseason after not finding many suitors. This postseason has earned Shamet quite a payday, as he’s been automatic from beyond the arc. His astonishing 11-of-12 from 3-point range performance in the Eastern Conference Finals is historic, as no shooter has ever been more efficient from beyond the arc in a postseason round (minimum of 10 shots).
Wings
Edge: Knicks
The Knicks' forwards will need to dominate this series if they want a shot at the title. This position group is where they hold their only real edge against San Antonio. When fully healthy, OG Anunoby might be the Knicks' best all-around player. Funny enough, Mikal Bridges, when playing confidently, might even be better. Anunoby has dealt with a hamstring injury earlier this postseason, but was a full-go against Cleveland, and should benefit from all the extra rest New York earned by sweeping their last two opponents. Since practically getting benched in Game 3 of the Atlanta series, Bridges has responded by shooting 63% from the floor and has drilled all 17 of his free throws. On the defensive end, both the Knicks starting forwards may be asked to guard Wemby a bit in this series. Deuce McBride is naturally more of a guard, but has found a nice role off the wing as a bench scorer. For the Spurs, they’ll likely use Wemby to “guard” Josh Hart and hover around the paint. Thus, it’ll be Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie’s responsibility to defend Karl-Anthony Towns on the perimeter. Keldon Johnson was awarded the NBA’s 6th Man of the Year this season, but has struggled to provide the scoring he put up during the regular season. Knicks need to win these matchups.
Bigs
Edge: Spurs
Victor Wembanyama is essentially unguardable around the rim and the best defender in the NBA on the other end. His biggest flaw is his endurance and the amount of workload that he’s already had to handle this postseason. Perhaps the best case scenario for the Knicks would be to leave him wide open from beyond the arc at the start of games and hope he hits 3-pointers. Whatever they can do to get him out of the paint and make him a jump shooter is paramount. Wemby has blocked 60 shots thus far in this postseason, but none of them were as important as Luke Kornet’s chase-down of Isaiah Hartenstein in the 4th Quarter of Game 7. Kornet is a fine backup big with playoff experience with the Celtics, but the Knicks really need to win the minutes he’s on the floor. Karl-Anthony Towns has been excellent as a point-center distributor and lights-out as a shooter. If he can continue to play at this level, he may force San Antonio to draw Wemby out of the paint and onto the perimeter. As for Mitchell Robinson, he’s got a broken pinky, but I kinda love the fact he’s going to be playing hurt. Gives this series a bit of a Dennis Rodman feel. Maybe they’ll let him wear a club, which could come in handy for the hard fouls Wemby is about to receive.
Coaching
Edge: Knicks
Mitch Johnson is in his first full season as the team’s full-time head coach after spending last year as the interim for Greg Popovich. He made his way through the NBA ranks in the G-League before finding a seat next to Popovich as an assistant in 2019. Johnson deserves plenty of credit for coaching up a young team, but it appears Popovich still has significant influence on the Spurs’ culture. Mike Brown faced a very difficult challenge in replacing Tom Thibodeau, who had dragged the franchise out of the abyss. Like Johnson, Brown began his NBA coaching career working with Popovich down in San Antonio for three seasons before eventually landing a head coaching role with the Cavs. Along with LeBron James, Brown would get swept by the Spurs in the ‘07 NBA Finals. Although he’s never won an NBA Championship as a head coach, Mike Brown has plenty of NBA Finals experience, having served as the top assistant on four NBA championship teams (1 with the Spurs, 3 with the Warriors). Gotta give the 2-time NBA Coach of the Year the edge here, especially with how the Knicks have gelled of late.
Prediction: Knicks in 6.
The city of New York needs a championship.
JT Toppin, PF, Texas Tech
JT Toppin is from Dallas, Texas. In high school, Toppin played for Faith Family Academy of Oak Cliff, where he helped the program win the ‘23 Texas 4A State Championship and took home the Texas 4A State Player of the Year. The 4-star recruit began his collegiate career with New Mexico as the Mountain West Freshman of the Year in ‘23-’24. After his one season with the Lobos, Toppin transferred to Texas Tech and became a consensus two-time All-American and the Big 12 Player of the Year in ‘24-’25. In his two seasons with the Red Raiders, Toppin averaged 19.8 points, 10 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. He led Texas Tech to the Elite Eight in ‘25 before unfortunately suffering a torn ACL this past February, which sidelined him from the NCAA Tournament in ‘26. Although he’s still in the process of recovering from the injury, JT Toppin’s game should remain explosive upon his return. I think his NBA game is similar to Antonio Davis (no relation) as a double-double threat on the boards.
Braden Smith, PG, Purdue
Braden Smith is from Westfield, Indiana, about an hour south of Purdue University. He has basketball in his blood as his mother, Ginny, won the 1997 Arkansas Miss Basketball before playing college hoops at Arkansas Tech. His father, Dustin, also coached Braden growing up. He won Mr. Basketball of Indiana in 2022, averaging 18.3 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds in his senior season at Westfield High School. Upon joining the Boilermakers’ program in ‘22, Smith immediately made an impact as a Day 1 starter and never left the lineup in his four seasons. His highly-decorated career list of NCAA accolades is absurd. Smith was named a consensus 1st Team All-American twice and 1st Team All-Big Ten three times. He finished his career as the all-time leader in assists with 1,103, which broke Bobby Hurley’s record. His career averages were 13 points, 7.4 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game while draining 3-pointers at 39%. Due to his ability to create and make shots, either for himself or dimes to his teammates, I think Braden Smith’ll make it in the NBA. At the very least, he could have a Steve Blake type of role as a backup PG.
Alex Karaban, SF, UConn
Alex Karaban is from Northborough, Massachusetts, where he started high school before attending school in New Hampshire and then accelerating his graduation at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. He was named the Gatorade New Hampshire Player of the Year for ‘20-21 after averaging 25.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.9 blocks per game. After redshirting for a year, Alex Karaban entered the starting lineup at UConn in ‘22-’23 and was named to the Big East All-Freshman Team. He was also named 2nd Team All-Big East in ‘25 and 1st Team All-Big East in ‘26. Although his career averages of 12.5 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists per game on 37% shooting from beyond the arc don’t jump off the page, his team’s success does. Karaban played in 20 March Madness games as a key cog in two National Championships and a runner-up run last season. He does a lot of the little things correctly and, paired with 3-point shooting, should give him a shot in the NBA as a role player off the bench.
Aday Mara, C, Michigan
Aday Mara is from Zaragoza, Spain. Growing up, he represented his home country in international play, averaging 14 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game for Spain at the ‘23 FIBA U18 Euro Championships. His collegiate career in the US began at UCLA later that fall. In two seasons with the Bruins, Mara came off the bench to average 5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game. Last season, he transferred to Michigan, where his game blossomed as a starter. For the Wolverines, his production jumped to 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game as he helped Michigan win the National Championship. At 7’3”, Aday Mara is a problem in the post. His footwork and touch around the rim remind me of another 7’3” big man in Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
Richie Saunders, SG, BYU
Richie Saunders is from Riverton, Utah. He is the great-grandson of Nephi Grigg, the man who invented Tater Tots. A 3-star recruit out of Wasatch Academy, Saunders spent his first two seasons coming off the BYU bench as a role player. In his first 68 collegiate games, Saunders averaged 7.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, shooting 35% from 3. He was given a large role as a starter his junior year, and the results followed. Saunders was the Big 12 Most Improved Player in ‘25, averaging 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 43% from beyond the arc. He also helped lead the Cougars to the Sweet 16 while scoring over 20 points per game in the tournament. Paired alongside AJ Dybantsa last season, Saunders was off to career-highs in points (18), rebounds (5.8), assists (2.1), and steals (1.7) before a torn ACL cut his senior year short last February. Given his shotmaking ability both off the dribble and off the ball, I think Richie Saunders could have a good NBA career off the bench like Jon Barry.
Nate Ament, SF, Tennessee
