In February 2023, the Knicks acquired Josh Hart from Portland to become their hardhat and launch-pail connector. The organization relinquished future draft equity and young players to secure Hart, who was Brunson's college teammate at Villanova.

Hart, who has played 249 games for the Knicks, has found a home in New York after starting his career as a journeyman and playing with three other franchises. His 11.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists during his Knick tenure showcase an ability to do a bit of everything despite not being an outright typical star.

On Dec. 30, 2023, the organization gave up two homegrown players (RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley) in order to cash in on OG Anunoby from Toronto.

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Anunoby, who is one of the league's best two-way wings, immediately stepped into a featured role and has been the defensive glue for this team ever since.

The 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward has averaged 16.9 points and 4.9 rebounds as a Knick, but his impact and influence are levels above his statistical imprint.

After the Anunoby acquisition, the Knicks were clearly on the way to building something sustainable, but they needed more.

They found their two final pieces — but handed over the farm to get them.

On July 6, 2024, the organization decided to go all-in for Mikal Bridges, who’d broken out as a high-volume offensive performer in Brooklyn.

The Knicks relinquished five first-round selections to secure Bridges, another Villanova alumnus, securing their wing rotation for years to come.

Bridges has not displayed overwhelming numbers in New York (16 points and 3.5 rebounds per game), which does tend to raise questions about how much the Knicks gave up for him.

Yet, he undeniably makes them better, as he’s never missed a game and his lanky 6-7 frame with a 7-1 wingspan makes it difficult for opponents to get by him. And when he’s on, his offensive efficiency is truly something to behold.

The pièce de résistance came in form of Karl-Anthony Towns from Minnesota.

The Knicks shipped out Julius Randle, their All-Star power forward, and Donte DiVincenzo (a sad departure given that he, too, was Villanova teammates with Brunson, Hart, and Bridges), and a first-round selection to secure the All-Star center in October 2024.

In two seasons, Towns has averaged 22.2 points and 12.3 rebounds, providing New York with double-double consistency and elite center floor-spacing.

The Knicks being the Knicks looked outside of the organization's own ranks to improve. None of these players was drafted and developed from within, with no true youthful rebuilding pains to suffer through. The Knicks starters were outside forces, signed or traded for, who had one mission: a Finals push. Mission accomplished.

Unlike the Knicks, the Spurs are indeed homegrown, with only a few exceptions.

Let's start with Stephon Castle, selected fourth in 2024, who at just 21 years old has become one of the most physical perimeter defenders in all of basketball.

The former Rookie Of the Year has averaged 15.6 points and 5.6 assists in his first two seasons, and he demonstrably helped contain two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during the Western Conference finals.

Castle has also flashed one of the greatest signals when trying to project the future of young players: He's played better in the postseason than the regular season.

The 6-6 lead guard has put up 19.2 points and 6.7 assists in the playoffs and looks every bit like a future All-Star.

Devin Vassell, selected 11th overall in 2020, has been a consistent presence for the Spurs since he was drafted. Although his role has diminished as the team has gotten better, he remains a starter due to his floor-spacing capabilities.

Vassell has averaged 14.1 points and 3.8 rebounds as a Spur, while canning 37.2% of his 3-pointers. His defense swings from moderate to good, and he's excellent at working within a team structure.

Julian Champagnie wasn't drafted by the Spurs. In fact, he wasn't drafted at all. Despite averaging over 19 points and seven rebounds in his last two seasons at St. John's, the now-24-year-old had to latch onto the Philadelphia 76ers as a two-way player.

He was released in 2023 and claimed by the Spurs, who developed him into what he is now: A switchable defender with solid rebounding capabilities and a reliable 3-point shot.

Despite starting his career elsewhere, Champagnie should be considered a homegrown talent as he benefited from the Spurs’ development program to average 9.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 37.5% shooting from 3.

This leads us to De'Aaron Fox, who is the only non-homegrown starter. He was acquired during last season's trade deadline from the Sacramento Kings after he displayed a desire to leave the organization and specifically go to San Antonio.

At 28, Fox is one of the more seasoned players on the roster, and despite not being the focal point on offense as he was in Sacramento, Fox has embraced the role of playmaker and plays entirely within the flow of the offense.

The two-time All-Star has averaged 18.8 points and 6.1 assists in San Antonio, and signed a 30% max contract extension that triggers this summer.

Finally, there's this fifth starter who is pretty much a random guy from somewhere in Europe.

Victor Wembanyama was selected first overall in 2023, and right from the moment he stepped onto an NBA court, he was immediately the league's best defender.

He's become the heart and soul of these Spurs, and the primary reason for their Finals run.

Wembanyama has averaged 23.4 points, 11 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.5 blocks over his first three seasons and has reached the point where it's fair to argue that he's the best player in the NBA, at just 22.

Should the Frenchman push the Spurs to a championship in June, his legacy will already be undeniable.

And while he isn’t a starter, we would be remiss to not mention rookie Dylan Harper, the second overall selection of the 2025 draft.

He’s played like anything but a rookie this postseason, averaging 13.1 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 52.5% from the floor and 36.4% from 3. He looks like a future star and is one of the reasons teams are no longer allowed to have top-five picks in three consecutive years.

Yes, he’s that good, as are these Spurs, who built through the draft to construct a youthful powerhouse that isn’t close to its peak.