It's been more than a week since the new NBA season started. Throughout that time, Ja Morant has been killing it on the court for the Memphis Grizzlies and showing everyone why he's such a hot prospect in the NBA card market. The thing is, Morant isn't the only one who's having a hot start around with Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum performing well in their own right. We take a look below at who these guys are and why their stocks are rising in the hobby.
Ja Morant and the 4 biggest winners of the NBA card market through the season's first week
5. Lauri Markkanen
At some point in the past, Lauri Markkanen was seen as a potential franchise player for the Chicago Bulls, especially after putting up some respectable numbers during the 2017-18 season. But thanks to injuries and other guys being handed the keys to the offense, the Finnish forward was relegated to shooting threes during his time in the Windy City, and the Cleveland Cavaliers after that. But now with the Utah Jazz, it seems the NBA card market is seeing something different from Markkanen altogether.
In just four games this season, Markkanen is getting career-high averages in points by notching 21.5 per game while grabbing 8.8 rebounds, 3 assists, and a single steal in 35.5 minutes. These impressive performances, particularly against the New Orleans Pelicans where the Jazz star posted 31 points and 12 rebounds, are placing Markkanen in a position to succeed, not only on the court, but in the hobby as well.
In a three-month graph by Card Ladder, Markkanen's PSA 10 Prizm Silver rookie card has gone up from $50 to $115. Doing the math, that's a 115% increase during that timeframe. All things considered, that's not too bad for a prospect most collectors have already dismissed in the market for the past few years.
4. Tyrese Maxey
It's pretty surprising that Tyrese Maxey has overtaken his namesake and the Indiana Pacers' point guard, Tyrese Haliburton, as one of the three best prospects from the 2020-21 Class with Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball. For a 21st pick, the guard is doing well for the Philadelphia 76ers this season by averaging 17.3 points in 37.5 minutes. With the boys from Philly about to get their momentum, collectors can expect Maxey to get hot as well, both on the court and in the market.
According to a three-month Card Ladder graph, Maxey's PSA 10 Prizm Silver rookie card is doing good by going up from $415 to $517. This is an increase of more than 24%, which means that the 76ers' guard is getting a lot of fans in the sports card market. If things go well for Philadelphia, those who invested in him while his stocks were low can potentially see their capital go up.
3. Jayson Tatum
Months after losing his first trip to the Finals, it's expected that Jayson Tatum is going to have some kind of fire in him when the new season commences. Turns out, the Boston Celtics' All-Star forward is a raging inferno during his first four games. During that span, Tatum has been going off by averaging 32.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. Plus, he's shooting like there's no tomorrow and getting an efficient 37% success rate from downtown, 67% for his field goals, and 90% from the free throw line.
Along with his impressive early-season games, those Jayson Tatum cards in the market are looking sweet as well. Case in point, the All-Star's PSA 10 Prizm Silver rookie card, which has gone up from $925 to $1,125 during the last three months. Thanks to a Card Ladder graph detailing that price movement, this particular rookie card of the Celtics' forward has increased by a little more than 21% over that timeframe. Needless to say, if Tatum continues this trend, we'll potentially be seeing new highs for him in the coming months.
2. Luka Doncic
To say that Luka Doncic is an offensive monster is an understatement. Just by taking a look through his first four games this season and NBA card collectors will be convinced that he is among the hottest stocks this season. Throughout that timespan, the Dallas Mavericks' All-Star guard is averaging 34.7 points, 9 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 1.7 steals, and a single block per game. And even with losses to the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans, Doncic still gets to shine with those numbers on his side. His recent victory against Morant and the Grizzlies is still a good sign of his dominance on the court, one fans hope to see as the season progresses.
Proof of the All-Star's impact on the market is how those Luka Doncic rookie cards are performing. His PSA 10 Prizm Silver rookie card, in particular, is doing good with its price going up from $1,750 to $2,000, as per Card Ladder's data. NBA card collectors can expect his stock to stay stable since Doncic remains to be one of the better guys in this hobby.
1. Ja Morant
Without a doubt, the Grizzlies' franchise player is the hottest name in the market right now. Morant is currently leading the NBA in scoring by averaging 35.3 points per game on 53% shooting from the field, 60% from beyond the arc, and 86% from the free throw line. He's also contributing 4.3 rebounds, 7 assists, and a steal to help Memphis compete in the West.
Looking at Morant's PSA 10 Prizm Silver prices from Card Ladder, the card has gone up from $1,080 to $1,177 in a span of three months. If Morant takes another leap this year and gets the Grizzlies to contend for a ring, there's no doubt his stock will shoot up in the NBA card market. Of course, it pays to check on the games played during the regular season so collectors can properly time their buying and selling to make the most of their cards. If done correctly, these Ja Morant cards and those others in this list can see their value soar in the coming months.
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