After being out of the Golden State Warriors' lineup for more than two seasons, Klay Thompson finally made his triumphant return earlier this year. Since then, the Splash Brother has made a pretty good case in reminding everyone why he's a credible threat from all three levels of the court. But as great as his comeback has been for the Dubs, his rookie card value isn't really reflecting the same sentiment in the market.
We take a deep dive into Thompson's return this season and find out why his stock is sinking hard, instead of going up.
Klay Thompson's resurgence with the Golden State Warriors
For seven seasons since he was drafted in 2011, Thompson has been present in most games for the Warriors. During that stretch, the All-Star guard would back his durability up by evolving into a potent offensive threat, especially from beyond the three-point line.
In those seven seasons, Thompson averaged 19.5 points on 46% shooting from the field, connected 41% of his seven attempts from downtown, and 84% from the free throw line. Add a true shooting rate of 57% and an offensive box score of 1.8, and you'd end up with an effective scorer that works well with Golden State's motion-based offense.
The greatest proof of Thompson's elite status as an offensive threat was back in 2016 when the Warriors faced up against the Indiana Pacers, with a Paul George still leading the said team. In that contest, the All-Star guard would go on to score an efficient 60 points in 29 minutes by hitting 63% from the field, 57% from deep, and 90% from the foul line.
Of course, things would get better for Thompson and the Warriors as they would go on to win two more championships with Kevin Durant joining the team. Unfortunately, disaster would strike Thompson in their quest to win a fourth title against the Toronto Raptors in 2019. At that point, the Splash Brother tore his ACL in Game 6 of the Finals, which sidelined him for all of the 2019-20 NBA season.
Adding salt to injury, the Warriors' star suffered another setback in the form of an Achilles injury. This caused him to miss another full season, and mostly into the one that just finished recently. Fortunately, Thompson recovered and returned to the lineup earlier this year, much to the delight of NBA fans everywhere.
In the 32 games he has played this year, Thompson is averaging 20.4 points on 38% of his shots from downtown, while making 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists. And while he started slow, the final game of the regular season against the New Orleans Pelicans showed everyone why he's such a threat on the offensive end of the court.
In almost 31 minutes on the court, Thompson drained 41 points, including seven splash bombs from beyond the arc, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. This is a good sign for the Splash Brother, who enters the postseason with a much-needed momentum to help his team go deep in the playoffs. Once Stephen Curry returns and joins him, Draymond Green, and Jordan Poole, opposing squads will have a hard time containing the kind of offense they bring to the table.
The state of Klay Thompson rookie cards in the market
But while things are looking good for the Warriors' star, his stock in the card market isn't necessarily reflecting that momentum. This can be seen in a three-month graph by Card Ladder.
In the graph above, Thompson's PSA 10 base 2012 Prizm rookie card has sunk by hard. From its starting price of $990 last January, the value of this card is now at $450. That's a 54% decrease from where it was a few months ago. And while things are looking up for Thompson on the court, that progress hasn't translated yet to his value in the card market yet.
The verdict on Klay Thompson rookie cards
There are some key details to keep in mind before deciding whether to sell or buy more Klay Thompson cards. For starters, the Warriors have the chance to make a deep playoff run once Curry returns. The expectations for Thompson to get hot during the first round, or potentially, even beyond, are high.
In the event he scores more than 30 points in an efficient manner, the market will take notice and propel his value up. And even if Thompson fails to make an impact, it would only mean his rookie card value will plunge deeper. In any case, now would be a great time to invest more in those Klay Thompson cards while they're still low. His prices are a good bargain right now and there's really no loss when you're getting an NBA champion, All-Star shooting guard, and future Hall of Fame inductee.
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