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Written by @STEVEYGIII, NBA Top Shot, NFL All Day, UFC Strike and Candy MLB collector--
After a little Turkey break last week, we are back with this weeks 5 hottest players on the court both physically and how that translates to digital collectibles. Plenty of NBA Cup action has been going on (as you can see from a slew of fancy new moments on Top Shot with bright courts) and we have five fresh faces from the last roughly 2 weeks making an impact.
5. Darius Garland – Cleveland Cavaliers: Hard to believe that Garland is entering his sixth year in the NBA, all with the Cavaliers. He has been a steady contributor over the last few years and this year is no different averaging over 20ppg and over 6rpg. This year though, it feels like he has been hitting more big spike performances, hitting over 25 points or 4+ three pointers or over 6 assists. The Cavs got off to an incredibly hot start this year, of which Garland was a big part of. Bottom line is he is just a solid night in and night out player on a contender who is going to get some nice pop nights, but never going to be the guy dropping 50. Garland has a S1 TSD that is a nice collector’s pickup or for anyone in the Packaliers. I think by now if you are playing Fast Break you have to at least have a common of Garland, of which he has several nice non-base pickups from MSFE, Playoffs, Crunch Time, Extra Spice, Spotlight, Hustle & Show and a slew of parallels. I think the case can also be made a Rare isn’t a bad pickup either if you’re looking for good solid floor players in Fast Break on a few different nights. Garland is one of the most underrated and un-talked about players in the league. Don’t let him fly below your collecting radar.
4. Isaiah Hartenstein – Oklahoma City Thunder: A Fast Break favorite down the stretch last year, IH is back this year finally healthy and picking back up where he left off from New York, now in OKC. A classic big man crashing the boards, loading up blocks and nightly double-double contender, Hartenstein is a must have in the collection for Fast Break. He is usually a lock to hit his averages you will need (NLA – not lineup advice). From a collector / investment perspective, his TSD is usually floating around $2-$3 so if you’re just going to run a common of him, you may as well make it the TSD. His Fresh Threads is dropping this week if you want to plunge into a rare, but I am personally hanging with just the common for now until I see a few more opportunities to plug him in over the 12 day stretches.
3. Stephon Castle – San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs have an emerging hot rookie this year. Where have we heard that one before? While certainly not in the Wemby stratosphere, Stephon Castle is finally getting into a groove in San Antonio. There is real opportunity for someone to emerge as that viable #2 in San Antonio between Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, Keldon Johnson and now the emerging Stephon Castle. I like Castle’s pedigree most of that group and is a rookie I am stacking a few of. Castle had recent outings of 18, 19 and 23 points in a game. His hot outings have moved him up the Kia NBA Rookie Ladder and I like Castle to continue to emerge. Get at least one TSD and keep an eye on him as someone who could breakout to the top of the rookie ranks. I like him as someone later in the year who has a prominent role on that Spurs team.
2. Brandon Miller – Charlotte Hornets: Brandon Miller is a pure scorer. You could see the signs last year and continue to see the breakout trend this season. We have talked about Keyonte George and Bilal Coulibaly in this column in earlier posts; but Miller looks the most ready to be that #3 rookie from last year’s class behind Wemby and Chet. Miller reminds me a lot of a young Devin Booker and is someone I really think has superstar potential. His opportunity as the centerpiece of the franchise is coming with LaMelo Ball seemingly hurt and in and out of the lineup. Miller is a dependable scorer from 3 as well as in the paint; evidenced by his Throwdown minted this year. I like the Miller TSD as a collector, but also as a player I think has massive collectible value upside to grow. I like Miller’s rares from the watchability side, but also think for Fast Break and collecting Miller in general; a rare is a nice piece to have in the collection. As a For the Win fanboy I highly recommend it, but you also can not go wrong on this season’s Throwdown from the price point or if you want to go bigger take a look at the Honors set moment and Freshman Gems moments from last year with the rookie badges. If you’re a whale, that draft day footage in the Rookie Revelations legendary set is top tier. Flag this post for the future when Miller is a full-fledged superstar in the league.
1. De’Aaron Fox – Sacramento Kings: It is easy to get overlooked when you play on the West Coast and are not in Los Angeles or on the Warriors. De’Aaron Fox has quietly been on of the league’s best players the last several years and is currently averaging a career high 27ppg. Highlighted by back-to-back nights of 60 and 49 point outings, Fox followed those games up with ho hum performances of 28, 29 and 31 point games. Also, one of the league’s top options for steals, Fox gets it done in a lot of stat categories. He checks a lot of the boxes on Fast Break nights and sneaks in enough for assists, free throws and field goals you can trot him out multiple times a run and feel confident. He has a deep catalog of Rares to choose from, including multiple Throwdowns, MGLEs and a really sweet Run it Back rookie year dunk rare. His Top Shot Debut is only sitting at 1303 remaining mints, so don’t sleep too long on it! Oh and don’t forget about that shiny new NBA Cup legendary moment to collect from the above mentioned 60 point game. A veteran in the league, it is nice to see Fox finally getting the attention he has long deserved. Get into the full catalog and enjoy one of the league’s best players on Top Shot.
As the NBA Cup winds down into the final rounds, I can’t wait to watch and see who emerges like we saw last year from Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers. The Kia NBA Rookie Ladder is in constant shakeup after McCain and the inevitable Christmas Day stage is coming in a few weeks as well. It’s a great time to be a collector, so go grab some new moments, put them to use in Fast Break and watch them!
Until next time, watch more moments, tell more stories and we ride at dawn…
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