Whether it may be an underperforming NBA player who was projected to take their team to the next level or just a player in general not living up to the hype set for them by investors, there were several players who saw their card prices crash down after the first half of the season
With that said, we take a look at the three players whose cards suffered greatly from the early proceedings of the campaign.
Michael Porter Jr.
Michael Porter Jr., who is technically in his sophomore season now, possesses all the characteristics and framework of the ideal modern NBA player. Standing at 6-foot-10 with a 7-0 wingspan, it’s quite easy to see why both casual fans and collectors alike fell in love with his game. The 22-year-old is a streaky shooter and a versatile wing, who can play either the 3 or 4 spot for the Denver Nuggets.
Although everything is aligned for him to be a future star in the league, his season this year has been somewhat a disappointment. However, he is not fully to blame after missing out a few games of action earlier this season due to the health and safety protocols.
Prior to his absence, his PSA 10 Prizm silver rookie card went as high as $1,400. Nonetheless, it dipped to as low as $600-$700 on eBay.
For what it’s worth, MPJ has started to pick up the pace in the recent stretches of games. In fact, against the Indiana Pacers on Monday (March 15), he put up 20 points and eight rebounds.
Tyler Herro
Herro-Mania was definitely the talk of the NBA bubble, with his savvy style and confidence that he brought every game. Mentored by Jimmy Butler, he and his fellow young Miami Heat teammates helped lead the team to one of the greatest Cinderella runs in recent history.
Being projected as a team that would at most reach the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, Herro was one of the main ignition keys who grinded out tough opponents such as the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics–even dropping a stellar career high of 37 points in Game 4 against the Cs led by Jayson Tatum. With his team, they only fell short against the stacked Los Angeles Lakers, led by superstars Lebron James and Anthony Davis.
Going into Year 2, bigger expectations were set on the potential of Tyler Herro, as he’s anticipated to take a big leap. Huge sales like his National Treasures rookie patch auto and his BGS 9.5 Prizm black 1/1 shimmer rookie card both sold for $15,000 and $18,000 respectively.
There is no doubt that Herro, as an individual this NBA season, has been picking up where he left off from the bubble. He is averaging a solid averages of 15.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists a contest.
The reason, though, on why his prices plunged at the start of the year was his shaky start that the Heat had gotten off. Going 6-12 in their first 18 games of the regular season, they were plagued with key players missing time due to both injuries and health and safety protocol.
With Butler now back alongside contributors like Goran Dragic, the Heat are roaring again in the East, now sitting pretty at the 4th seed.
Expect that Herro’s card prices will return to where they were before you know it, as investors will soon be looking to get a piece of the pie, of Miami’s young up and coming flare.
Trae Young
Ice Trae has taken the NBA world by storm ever since his rookie season in 2018, fueling a battle with Luka Doncic early on for the “Rookie of the Year” position. Fans are able to reminisce a blossoming budding star in Stephen Curry’s earlier days when they see Young play–a small, not-so athletic, but incredibly crafty guard who can make you pay by pulling up from the logo anytime.
His sophomore season was no different–averaging a whopping 29.6 points and 9.3 assists a game–earning him an All-Star spot with Giannis Antetokounmpo as captain.
Young, however, complained to the Hawks organization that they were still lacking firepower and that he needed help to carry the load of taking this team to a playoff berth. Which leads us to this season, with Atlanta having the most cap space in the entire NBA. They decided to bring in players like Danilo Gallinari, Rajon Rondo and Bogdan Bogdanovic to finally get the help Trae needed for a playoff push.
Currently sitting at eighth place in a stacked and unpredictable Eastern Conference, Trae young himself has still been spectacular this year. He has shown he really is the franchise player that the Hawks need to turn the organization around in the right direction.
The case with his drop in prices does not reflect his ability as player, but instead the general dive of modern card pricing as of late and investors just choosing to invest in other standout young point guards in the league.
Holding Trae is still probably your best bet right now while waiting for the market to go up again, all while holding up hope for him to do well come playoff time.
