Without a doubt, the Charlotte Hornets ended up with the top talent in the 2020 NBA Draft when they selected LaMelo Ball with the third pick. At only 19 years old, the rookie has already shown flashes of being a future All-Star in the league. Because of this, LaMelo Ball cards are set to explode.

Although Ball’s first year in the league exceeded everyone’s expectations, the Hornets’ hopes of making the playoffs are gone after they lost to the Indiana Pacers in embarrassing fashion in the play-in tournament. With their season done, everyone’s attention will shift to various teams participating in the postseason. This means Ball will be out of sight and out of mind for a couple of months, starting now.

While this isn’t the ideal scenario for LaMelo Ball rookie card collectors, there’s still a glimmer of opportunity waiting out in the open. Shown below are two good reasons why the Hornets’ new star is about to become a big steal in the card market.

His card value is expected to drop sooner than later

Last year, the prices of players who participated in the Bubble experienced a boost, thanks to more exposure after a long break. On the other hand, those who sat out of the playoffs in Orlando saw their value take a dip. Ball won’t be an exception to this trend.

Expectations are high for the next season to start sometime in October of this year. With the Hornets out of the playoff picture, that amounts to almost five months without any action on the court, Ball included.

LaMelo’s PSA 10 base Prizm rookie card peaked in the first half of April with a price of $1,850 on eBay. As of now, gem-mint graded copies of the same card have hit $1,000. This price can go even lower because more people will transfer their money to players who are in the playoff scene right now. Although Ball's value can potentially go up in the coming weeks, especially if he nabs the Rookie of the Year Award, this won't stick because the basketball card market usually goes down during the offseason. In any case, this trend will still bode well for collectors who want to get more of Ball’s stock because they can do so at a cheaper price.

Ball is the top talent in Buzz City

The future is certainly getting brighter in Charlotte. For starters, Terry Rozier is evolving into a deadly scorer, and Gordon Hayward’s presence at the wing was a welcome development all season long. Miles Bridges, Devonte’ Graham, and Malik Monk were also pleasant surprises this year for the Hornets. While these guys have helped Charlotte one way or another this season, there’s no denying that Ball is the one putting Buzz City on the map. And as a result, LaMelo Ball cards will see an impact.

LaMelo Ball cards, Hornets

In his first year in the league, the rookie led the Hornets in assists and steals per game. Ball was also the team’s third-leading scorer behind Rozier and Hayward with a 49% success rate from the field and 35% from beyond the arc.

With a season or two more under his belt, Ball will soon improve his skills as a playmaker, scorer, and defender. When that happens, the rookie’s progress will soon trickle down to his cards and increase their value in the coming years.

With the playoffs about to start and the offseason happening after, the prices of LaMelo Ball cards and his rookie cards will stumble in the market. This isn’t a cause for concern because his impressive showing this year is more than enough to propel his value back up again for next season. Before that happens, it’s best to buy the dip in Ball’s prices to avoid overpaying for his cards in the future. If you're going to buy LaMelo Ball cards, the next couple of months will be the advantageous time to do so.