There's absolutely no question about Kevin Durant and the massive amount of talent stored within his lanky frame. After winning two championships with the Golden State Warriors and evolving into one of the NBA's deadliest scorers, KD is definitely one guy with a one-way ticket to the Hall of Fame in the future.
The thing is, his performance against the Boston Celtics isn't exactly working well for him and the Brooklyn Nets. In turn, his stock in the card market is reflecting that sentiment as well. We take a look at Kevin Durant cards in the hobby right now and how his performance has affected their value.
Kevin Durant's struggles against the Celtics
Without a doubt, Durant is among the select few in the NBA who blends an insane amount of talent with years of experience. This season alone, the Nets' starting forward has started to look like his old self after missing a season and a half due to torn Achilles. And unlike other guys who came back from that injury as lesser versions of themselves, KD overcame those doubts and continued exactly where he left off.
In the 55 games he played during the regular season this year, Durant averaged 29.9 points on 51% shooting from the field, 38% from three, and 91% from the free throw line. Along with the high level of efficiency, the All-Star forward also made 7.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists per contest, making his game much more dangerous for opposing squads.
These numbers all came together during a match against the New York Knicks a little more than a month ago when Durant exploded for 53 points. In that game, the Nets' forward drained 19 of his 37 attempts from the field, and connected 91% from the free throw line while adding 9 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals.
This insane performance from Durant was the one NBA card collectors were expecting from him when the playoffs started. With an emerging team like the Celtics, it requires nothing less than 100% on the court from the two-time champion. Unfortunately, the killer everyone was waiting for hasn't shown up yet.
Throughout the whole series, Durant is currently averaging 22 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1 steal per game. The ugly part of his performance against the Celtics is how inefficient he has been with the ball in his hands. In an average of 43 minutes through three games, the All-Star is hitting only 6.3 of his 17.3 field goal attempts, or a measly success rate of 36%. And while he's connecting 40% from beyond the arc and 88% from the free throw line, the sheer volume of the field goals Durant missed is causing more harm than good for the Nets.
While there are other factors that have led the Nets to go 0-3 against Boston, Durant's poorer showing than what everyone expected from him is definitely a cause of concern. And since no team in NBA history has climbed back up from that kind of deficit, the odds of Kevin Durant cards making a surge through the market isn't looking great either.
The state of Kevin Durant rookie cards
At the start of this current season, a lot of collectors placed their bets on the Nets to make a deep playoff run. This isn't the case now as Durant's card value is fizzling out in the market.
In a Card Ladder graph, Durant's PSA 10 2007 Topps Chrome rookie card has gone down. During the course of three months, the said card has gone down by 24% from $2,850 to $2,165. The same trend has been noticeable recently as the Nets lost three consecutive games to Boston until the card has settled at its current value.
With the Celtics up three games to none, the chances of these Kevin Durant rookie cards making a big stride in the market is close to impossible.
The verdict on Kevin Durant cards
Without a doubt, Durant is one of the best players in the league. And whatever happens, his legacy is already solidified after everything he has accomplished. That's why the only move that makes sense right now is to scoop up those Kevin Durant rookie cards that are dropping in the market.
Since they're on the downtrend right now and they can even go lower if Boston wins the series, there's really no reason to add more of this future Hall of Fame inductee's stock into your collection. And even if he doesn't get to contend for another championship from this point on, Durant's rookie card stock is among those that will withstand the coming years, especially if the whole hobby possibly implodes. In any case, the time to buy his cards are now.
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