The postseason is finally here and it’s one that we haven’t experienced in a long time. The matchups are filled with a lot of exciting narratives while fans are finally allowed to cheer on their favorite teams in arenas. Although all of these things are great, there are still some guys whose absence from the playoffs can still be felt, especially after going down with a nasty injuries. Once they return though, the price of their cards and rookie card could take off.

We take a look down below at some of the stars who got hurt this season and the reasons why investing in them and their rookie card is a good idea.

Klay Thompson

Before the regular season started, everyone was high on the Golden State Warriors. The sky was the limit with a healthy Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson leading the charge for the Dubs. Unfortunately, disaster struck around a month before the season started when Thompson injured his Achilles tendon during a pickup game.

Right before he went down two years ago, Thompson was a walking bucket for the Warriors. In 34 minutes, he was posting 21.5 points on 40% efficiency from beyond the perimeter. With the All-Star out of the lineup, Golden State relied heavily on Curry to generate offense, which almost took them past the NBA Play-In Tournament.

 

 

Card collectors are expecting Thompson and the Warriors to come back with a vengeance next season. The Splash Brother’s PSA 10 Prizm card, meanwhile, has gone down to $853 from $1,275 last March, making it an enticing card to invest in when he returns.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

In his first season as the Oklahoma City Thunder’s main star, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander showed everyone why he belongs in the NBA. In the 35 games he played, the third-year star averaged 23.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. The combo guard also hit 50% from the field, and 42% from downtown.

 

 

Unfortunately, SGA injured his foot towards the end of March. This caused Oklahoma City to go on a 3-26 tailspin without the young star. In comparison, the Thunder were 16-19 with Gilgeous-Alexander in the lineup.

As it stands, SGA’s PSA 10 base Prizm rookie card is at $175, down from $250 at the start of April. Collectors can expect his stock to go up next season, especially if he takes another leap by then.

Jamal Murray

It’s such a shame that everyone just experienced six whole games of a Denver Nuggets lineup that boasted MVP-favorite Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, and Jamal Murray. In those matchups right after the trade deadline, the latter averaged 22 points 4.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.7 steals in 36.2 minutes.

 

 

Denver would go on to win five of those six games. The last matchup against the Golden State Warriors saw Murray go down with a torn ACL on his right knee, taking him out for the rest of the season.

Thanks to that injury, Murray’s PSA 10 base Prizm rookie card went tumbling down to $202 now from $440 in the middle of April. That might not be the case for Blue Arrow, though, when he comes back healthy to the Nuggets next season.

Jaylen Brown

Before Jaylen Brown went down with a wrist injury earlier in May, he was having an All-Star season for the Boston Celtics. The 6’6” wing posted 24.7 points, six rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.2 steals in the 58 games he played for Boston this year. 

 

 

With the Celtics losing the first game of their matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, the presence of Brown is sorely needed to, at least, even the odds. Collectors, in the meantime, can scoop up his base gem-mint 2016 Prizm rookie card for around $219. This can be considered a steal price since PSA 10 copies of the All-Star were commanding $350 before he got injured.

John Wall

Expectations weren’t that high for John Wall and the Houston Rockets, especially after James Harden was traded early in the season. It didn’t matter, though, for the point guard who consistently showed flashes of his All-Star form for Space City.

In 40 games, Wall notched 20.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 1.1 steals. These numbers were on full display in a loss to the Brooklyn Nets when the guard scored 36 points on 41% shooting from beyond the arc.

 

 

Although Wall is towards the end of his prime, his skill set and experience can still be valuable to a contending squad. In the event he gets traded or signs up with a winner, his PSA 10 first-year Prizm card, which is valued at $41, is going to be a great steal for any collector.

An injury will not just derail a player’s season. It can also dampen his value in the card market. Fortunately, these incidents can be seen as an opportunity to get your favorite player at a discounted price, or a way to make a profit down the road. With the names stated above, you can do both when hype for the next season ramps up later this year.