Question

Int y = 0
Int x = 5
y = x++

As compared to doing something like

Int y = 0
Int x = 5
y = ++x

Particularly, I’m asking how the position of the post increment generally affects the output

Answer 1

When the operator is before variable, it does (and supposed to when one writes own operators) perform an operation and then return result.

int x = 1 ;
int y = x++ ; // y = 1, x = 2
int z = ++x ; // x = 3, z = 3

I would suggest using temporary programs and outputs to see how things work.
Of course a good book is the best 😉