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We’re now racing towards the end of the regular season after kicking things off last December. By now, we’re getting a clear outlook on which rookies are excelling, with LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards leading the pack. At the same time, there are a couple of first-year players who aren’t living up to the hype surrounding them. Whether they’re playing for a losing team or being downright disappointing, one thing is for sure – their value in the NBA cards market isn’t going up anytime soon. We take a look down below at some NBA rookie cards you need to sell and why.
Obi Toppin
It’s pretty hard not to root for the New York Knicks at this point. A lot of people expected them to be bad this year, especially after failing to sign a major star in the offseason. Instead, they went against the grain to grab one of the top spots in the East right now. While things do seem rosy for New York, the same can’t be said about its top draft pick – Obi Toppin
The number eight pick from this year’s draft isn’t lighting the court up, as most fans expected. This season, Toppin is posting four points, and 2.3 rebounds in just 11.6 minutes per game. He’s also shooting horribly from the arc with a 29% success rate on 1.4 attempts.
Toppin’s poor showing during his first season is inevitable, especially with Julius Randle as the Knicks’ premier player in the power forward spot. This doesn’t bode well for the rookie’s base Prizm card, which has already peaked at $10 and can go much lower when the offseason starts.
Patrick Williams
Patrick Williams’ inclusion on this list isn’t a knock on his performance this year. In fact, the rookie has garnered praise from LeBron James, thanks to his outstanding performance on the defensive end. Williams’s averages of 4.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 9.2 points on 51% from the field and 38% from three places him in the upper tier of this season’s rookie class.
What’s not great about Williams’ stock right now isn’t his on-court performance, it’s his team – the Chicago Bulls. Everyone expected Chitown to tear it up after trading for Nikola Vucevic last month. What happened, instead, is a continuing slide down the East’s bottom tier with a 25-35 record. If the Bulls don’t get out of this sinkhole fast, they won’t have a chance to make the Play-In Tournament next month. This won’t bode well for Patrick Williams’ base Prizm rookie card, which is currently priced at $15.
Deni Avdija
What many thought to be impossible is happening right before our very eyes. The Washington Wizards are now in 10th place with a 27-33 record and they have a fighting chance to make the playoffs via the Play-In Tournament. Unfortunately, Washington’s top rookie this year, Deni Avdija, won’t be able to help his team in any way at all.
In a game against the Golden State Warriors last week, Avdija suffered a nasty ankle injury that prematurely ended his first year in the league. Before that happened, the rookie averaged 6.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 23.3 minutes on the court. These aren’t exactly eye-catching numbers from Avdija, which lowered his ceiling in the process.
Now that he’s out for the rest of the season, Avdija’s base Prizm rookie card has plummeted down. From a peak of $27 at the start of this month, his value is down to $8 right now on eBay.
James Wiseman
James Wiseman’s first year in the league is somehow less exciting than those of Ball and Edwards. After a hot start, the rookie was demoted to the bench due to a lackluster performance as the Warriors’ center. Now, the big man is out for the season after suffering a knee injury two weeks ago.
Before he went down, Wiseman was averaging 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game. While these numbers look good on paper, the rookie often looked lost on defense, making him a liability for the Warriors. Wiseman’s 31% from downtown also hurts Golden State’s spacing and overall offensive scheme. Ultimately, the second pick in this year’s draft won’t be a factor in the Warriors’ final push to enter the playoffs next month.
As of now, Wiseman’s base Prizm rookie card is valued at $20. This price can potentially go down, especially since he won’t be seen on the court until next season starts.
When it comes to investing in NBA rookie cards, there’s always the argument to be made about protecting your capital. Rather than see your money slowly go the drain, it’s better to lock in your profits while you have the chance. All in all, the outlook on the names stated above isn’t looking good and you need to cash in on those rookies as soon as possible.
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