A lot of basketball fans expressed a collective sigh of disappointment during the last week of March when Charlotte Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball fractured his wrist in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers. The third pick in the 2020 NBA Draft was initially expected to miss the rest of the season.
However, Ball’s wrist eventually got better and allowed him to return to the lineup just last week instead of missing the remainder of this 2020-21 campaign. Let's take a look at Ball's performance in his return and how this situation has impacted the value of his NBA cards.
LaMelo Ball's performance after return from injury
After missing 21 straight games, Ball returned to active duty in a game against the Detroit Pistons. In almost 28 minutes on the court, the guard notched 11 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. The Hornets would eventually get away with a 107-92 victory against the Pistons. For his part, Ball looked like his pre-injury self, which was evident on this full-court pass to Miles Bridges:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKMnCiIsJSI
A day later, the Hornets faced off against Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat. Ball posted 14 points, six rebounds, five assists, four steals, and a single block. Although Buzz City fell to the Heat in a 121-111 loss, the young rookie’s overall game still shined through.
See for yourself:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23fIk8SS19w
Ball’s return was highly anticipated by the Hornets, who are currently in eighth place in the East with a 31-33 record. With eight games remaining in the regular season, Buzz City is looking for a push to stay out of the play-in tournament, but that will be a tall order given the sixth-seeded Miami Heat are 3.5 games ahead.
Still, at the very least, Charlotte is hoping its 19-year-old rookie will help the team find a groove entering that play-in round.
The state of LaMelo's rookie cards
With Panini’s Prizm product out for more than a month now, there are a select few PSA 10 graded copies of Ball’s rookie card out there. Just a few days before he returned, a gem mint PSA 10 LaMelo Ball Prizm card sold on eBay for $860. That price recently spiked up to $1,100 after he came back. This means the market is reacting favorably to Ball’s cards, which is seen in the increase of his value.
Without a doubt, Ball is indeed the top talent from this year’s draft class. If you have a chance to nab his rookie card, specifically his Prizm offering, do so at a price you’re most comfortable with. With the examples of Luka Doncic and Zion Williamson before him, there’s a good chance Ball’s card value will maintain its demand in the long run.
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