After the New York Knicks won an NBA title led by Jalen Brunson, teams could be more open to selected undersized guards.
Mar 27, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey drives the ball in the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers during a Sweet Sixteen game of the Midwest Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center.
| Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images The NBA season is officially over with the New York Knicks' victory against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. The next event on the NBA calendar is the 2026 draft, which will give teams the opportunity to add young talent to their rosters.in the 2026 NBA Draft. New York was led by Jalen Brunson, who capped off the NBA Finals with a 45-point performance in Game 5.
Brunson, who measured 6-foot-1 without shoes at the 2018 NBA Combine, and Jose Alvarado, who is listed at 6-feet tall, proved that undersized guards can compete on the biggest stage. While there likely won't be a player of Brunson's caliber in the 2026 NBA Draft, there are multiple undersized guards who could benefit from Brunson and Alvarado's performances in the NBA Finals.
After stops at Belmont and Maryland, Gillespie averaged 18.4 points, 5.4 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game while shooting 41% from the field and 33.8% from beyond the arc. Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State As a senior at Iowa State, Lipsey averaged 13.5 points, 5.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game while shooting 45.9% from the field and 31.6% from 3-point range.
The Cyclones point guard started 137 games during his four-year college career and earned All-Big 12 and Big 12 All-Defense honors three times. At the G League Combine, Lipsey measured 6-foot-1-and-a-half without shoes, recording a 6-foot-2 wingspan. After finishing a record-breaking four-year career at Purdue, Smith has the potential to be a 2026 NBA Draft selection despite measuring 5-foot-10-and-a-quarter without shoes at the NBA Combine.
Smith averaged 14.3 points, 8.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 44% from the field and 36.2% from 3-point range. The veteran point guard helped Purdue to a national title appearance alongside Memphis Grizzlies big man Zach Edey, and finished his college career as the NCAA's all-time assist leader.
As a senior, Thornton tallied 19.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 55.4% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. At the combine, the former four-star recruit measured 6-feet tall without shoes, recording a 6-foot-5 wingspan and weighing 223 pounds. Randall Sweet is a 2022 Oklahoma University graduate who has formerly written for the Norman Transcript and OU Daily. Randall also serves as the Communications Coordinator at Visit OKC.
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