Michael Porter Jr. is on a roll. Check that. Michael Porter Jr. is turning into a superstar before our very eyes. The sweet-shooting forward from Missouri has blossomed in the wake of Jamal Murray's season-ending ACL injury, becoming the player many thought he would be leading up to his pro career. The numbers bear fruit, people.
In the 10 games since Murray's injury, Porter has racked up 25.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. More importantly, MPJ has only gone two games shooting under 50 percent from the field and is scorching hot from 3-point territory, shooting a blistering 51.3 percent from downtown.
It's not just the stats, either. You can tell by watching him play as Denver's newly minted second banana how comfortable he has become playing off MVP candidate Nikola Jokic.
This is the Michael Porter Jr. a lot of people ranked as the No. 1 prospect in his draft class before a debilitating back injury caused his stock to drop. This is also the same MPJ the Nuggets happily scooped up with the 13th pick in the 2018 draft despite the lingering questions about his health and overall durability.
Obviously, Porter's ascension has caused a ripple effect in the value of his trading cards.
His recent play is validation for a lot of MPJ collectors, most of whom collected in silence out of fear of being mocked for placing their eggs in the basket of a player who came with just about as many health-related question marks as any draft pick in recent memory.
Well, look whose eggs have hatched, people.
Porter's cards are scorching hot. A recent sale on eBay of his National Treasures RPA graded BGS 9 fetched a whopping $9,000. By comparison, a National Treasures RPA graded BGS 9 of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ended at $6,100 around the same time as the MPJ RPA sale. This is important because MPJ and SGA, along with Jaren Jackson Jr., have long been regarded as the three rookies from the 2018 draft class who sit on the third tier of rookie card values, below Luka Doncic (who stands above the rest) and Trae Young.
MPJ's card values have outpaced the card values of SGA and JJJ, and if he keeps up his hot play as the Nuggets gear up for the 2021 NBA Playoffs, those values have nowhere else to go but up.
It's tough seeing Jamal Murray on the sidelines with that devastating injury. But give credit to Michael Porter Jr. for not only stepping into the role as Denver's second fiddle but for taking that role and running away with it.
Michael Porter Jr. has arrived, and those who invested in his cards early are getting closer and closer to breaking the bank.
Follow Us
Subscribe