Looking into Tyler Herro's stock in the hobby and one can see that it has been on a rollercoaster ride since the Miami Heat guard entered the league in 2019. From that point on, he has gotten his fair share of fans and detractors, both on the court and in the market. Nevertheless, Herro remains to be an intriguing option for collectors who want to diversify their collection.

To those who are looking into those Tyler Herro cards in the market, there are several factors that can affect whether to go for this guy's stock or chase another young star with a higher ceiling. Shown below are some of them.

Tyler Herro is leading the race for the Sixth Man of the Year award

Herro's first year in the league saw him break out inside the Bubble after a relatively quiet regular season. During that playoff stretch, the 6'5″ guard posted 16 points on 43% shooting from the field and 37% from beyond the three-point line. He was also grabbing 5.1 rebounds and dishing 3.7 assists for a Heat squad that ultimately reached the NBA Finals. Even then, Miami lost to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in 4-2 series. Although they didn't reach the promised land, Herro still managed to make his impact felt, both on and off the court.

The momentum Herro gained during that first year carried over to his sophomore campaign, which increased expectations of him in the process. Unfortunately, a handful of injuries ravaged the Heat's roster while the league's health protocols further decimated their ranks. It also didn't help that Herro's contributions, especially on the offensive end of the court, weren't enough to lift Miami in the regular and postseason.

That, and ever-increasing media attention on his off-court activities all contributed to the cooldown of Tyler Herro rookie cards in the market. And while this seems concerning to the Heat's fans and those who invested in his stock, all of these things only served to fuel Herro up for his third year in the NBA.

Even before the season began, Herro made the bold claim of belonging to the same category as Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Ja Morant. At that time, a number of negative reactions rained down on the young guard for saying he should be in the same conversation with the said players. Turns out, Herro was serious after all and it's showing in his performance this season.

In the 46 games he has played this season, 10 of which as a starter, Herro is notching 20 points per game on 42% shooting from the field, 37% from downtown, and 88% from the free throw line. The shooting guard is also contributing to 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 32.7 minutes per game.

Those stats and his continued development this season all culminated in a 123-100 win over the Phoenix Suns early this year. In that game, Herro exploded and posted 33 points on 60% shooting from the field, 75% from three, and a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Even when he came from the bench, Herro went out with guns blazing to bring down the best team in the NBA at that time.

All of these things are now strengthening Herro's case to win the Sixth Man of the Year award. As compared to his closest opponent in the race, the Charlotte Hornets' Kelly Oubre, the Heat guard enjoys -1,400 odds to get the said award, as opposed to Oubre's +1,700. This result is projected to remain in the following months as the regular season awards are released.

With these details, it's pretty hard not to take Herro's case as the league's best guy from the bench. And although his numbers or impact on the court are still way off than those of Doncic, Young, or Morant, there's no denying that he's doing better than what most fans or collectors expected from him when the season began.

The state of Tyler Herro rookie cards

While Herro's leap to the Sixth Man of the Year conversation is all but sure, his stock in the market hasn't quite reflected that yet. In fact, it seems his value has been trending downward for the past few months.

Tyler Herro, Heat, NBA Cards

In this graph by Card Ladder, Herro's PSA 10 Prizm Silver rookie card has been dropping from $580 late last year to its current value of $323. This represents a -44.31% growth rate over 61 confirmed sales of this card, which results in an average price of $363. Even with a string of stellar performances this season and the front seat towards the Sixth Man of the Year award, the market has been lukewarm to these Tyler Herro rookie cards.

The verdict on Tyler Hero rookie cards

At this point in time, it's still unknown whether Herro can take another leap to the level of Doncic, Young, and Morant or remain a high-usage role player for Miami. What's certain, though, is that he's playing meaningful minutes for a Heat team that can be counted as favorites to win the East. That, and this squad has a good chance of going back to the NBA Finals again.

Tyler Herro, Heat, COVID-19

This makes those Tyler Herro rookie cards a great buy-low option with minimal risk involved for collectors. With a squad that has Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo in it, the chances of Herro increasing his stock in the card market are getting stronger, especially if he wins the Sixth Man of the Year award. In any case, he's a pretty safe buy with a high ceiling in the hobby.