NBA Season Hobby Preview - 9 Breakout Players to Watch

Shoutout to Michael G. Barilleaux for contributing this awesome article. I second everything he says here.

The NBA season is upon us. Let’s do a quick preview of the upcoming season, hobby-style. Here’s our list of who we think is going to have a big season.

Of course, make sure to do your own research before purchasing. We think all of these guys are going to take a step forward, but they may not be prime buys at the moment (for example, Cooper Flagg just being released should be avoided ATM).

Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets

The amount of potential this player carries with him across the court is unbelievable. I see his card values moving up steadily (his #150 rookie Prizm was last sold at $89) to start the season, but then taking a nice hike as Amen truly finds his niche within his team, dominating and likely making his competitors sweat. The Rockets excelled last season and have made enough smart moves during this offseason to become seriously dangerous contenders for a championship title. He’ll get more on-ball chances without VanVleet as well.

Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets

Here is a player who has averaged 19.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game during the 2024-2025 regular season and came out with a stellar opening game against the Thunder a few days ago. Playing alongside the dynamic Amen Thompson and with KD in the mix spacing the floor, I expect that Sengun will begin to carve his path in a big way in the coming months, and his charts will follow suit. Don’t expect a quick rise in his card prices, but do look for the long term.

Gradey Dick, Toronto Raptors

It’s certainly been a minute since his college glory days at the University of Kansas, but despite a relatively slow start, he has remained a potential threat in the pros. Dick isn’t a sure thing by any means, but I do believe that he will find his momentum this season. If I’m right, I suspect that an early investment in his mid-tier cards is a safe bet and one of lower risk with the potential to pay off decent to surprisingly strong dividends. Don’t sleep on this guy. He’s one of the few true floor spacers the Raptors have.

Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks

You could easily argue that expectations surrounding the 2025 first-round draft pick aren’t going to reach fruition any time soon. However, Flagg may be good enough that while his prices will drop at first, they will then slowly move back up as he proves his abilities to be transferable to the pros. Wait 4-6 months after any of his product releases (so prices can level out) before jumping in. I bet hobby prices rise the final two months as his team plays for real stakes and he starts getting the hang of the NBA.

Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

Wemby is already considered top tier, having lived up to virtually insane amounts of hype with a killer rookie season. Nevertheless, he was out for most of last season with an unfortunate diagnosis of Deep Vein Thrombosis that left a notable mark on his card prices. Compare his prices to someone like Doncic, and you’ll see that his prices are still far behind. But someday, Wemby’s going to walk out on the floor as the clear best player in the NBA.

Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies

Despite his career having been partially marred by injuries and occasional brushes with the law, the Grizzlies' point guard is poised to shine brighter than ever. I am convinced that this will be the year we see him reclaim the mantle as the most electric player in the league. Here’s hoping he also grows into a stronger team leader and a true force to be reckoned with. With a healthy stretch, I think we’ll see him reclaim much of his hobby love.

Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic

Already aligned with a high potential for greatness, the 2025-26 season is primed to be a riveting one for Orlando’s main man. Banchero’s 25.9 ppg last season was surely nothing to balk at, and as he continues to grow as a player it won’t be particularly surprising to see him step up in a plethora of ways, something that the worth of his cards likely will do as well. Check out his other stats here. He has legit top-10 potential on a possible Finals contender.

Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder

While I don’t see the Thunder repeating their title run this season, I do believe they will remain strong contenders. He’s obviously a stud who should just keep getting better and better. Don’t expect any sudden or quick flip-type price jumps, but steady gains (perhaps for years to come) are certainly in play.

Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons

The Pistons turned from a downtrodden team in complete disrepair to a real contender last season. Cunningham was easily the biggest piece to their winning equation. Still, this great in the making and his team will continue playing like they have something to prove until they make it all the way, and there is a strong chance that both Cunningham and Detroit will do just that. 26 points and 9 assists per game last year are super-duper-star numbers, and he could put up Doncic numbers soon.

Buy/Sell Targets

This doesn’t constitute investment advice, more just a window into my overall strategy as well as for entertainment purposes. All pricing and screenshots are taken from Card Ladder—the only pricing & inventory tool I use.

✔ Patrick Mahomes 🏈 - The good news if you’re a buyer on Mahomes is that a few good performances haven’t moved the needle on his pricing. The bar is too high—in fact, his pricing is down a smidge. I’m all the way back in on the Chiefs (I always thought when Rice came back that they’d be awesome). His PSA 9 Donruss is just over $300, but there were sales at $500 around Super Bowl time last year. Plus, it’s Mahomes, so there isn’t really any long-term downside.

✔ Lamar Jackson 🏈- If you’ve been reading my stuff for a bit, then you know I’m a big believer in reading price history and seeing frequent pricing highs/lows. Lamar Jackson’s PSA 9 Donruss fits the bill exactly! His cards have hit lows of $40 and highs of $70 over and over again! Currently, they’re hovering closer to $50. I think if you can get this card under $50, there’s a great chance it bounces back to $70 as he comes back and plays at his MVP level.

❌ Shohei Ohtani ⚾ - Honestly, I don’t think you can go wrong at this point. I’ve been saying all along he was a good buy because I thought he’d have an “Ohtani Game” in the playoffs. Well, he certainly did, and pricing on many of his cards jumped 25%+ almost overnight! So, sell and take the win, or see if he has another all-timer in him during the World Series.

❌ Matthew Stafford 🏈 - This guy is really good… and did you know that he’s leading the NFL in TDs and only has 2 picks? His pricing is a little hard to pin down, but he seems to be up. I’d sell because I’m a little down on him long-term. He’s got a bad back, so he might miss some time. I doubt he’ll win MVP because everyone wants to give it to Mahomes or Allen (or…*gasp*…Daniel Jones). I don’t think the Rams will win the Super Bowl…so I think now is a good selling window after a tremendous start.

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The content in this newsletter is for entertainment purposes only and is not intended to be actual financial or investment advice.