Talent Horton-Tucker Phenomenon. Who’s Next?
Welcome to Kohn’s Card’s Corner. This is where I am going to talk about the ever growing sports card market. If you are interested in any form of sports cards stay right here.
One of the largest explosions in the basketball market has just happened, Talen Horton-Tucker, a player that not many people had high expectations for him since coming out of Iowa State has just exploded on the scene. His base Donruss optic card has increased 3724%, on December 7th his card was worth $0.50, a week later it was worth upwards of 20 dollars with the highest sale being 24 dollars. This is all because of one tweet from the debatably greatest player of all time, Lebron James praised the young stud, “Telling you right now! This kid is flat out SPECIAL! Mark my words.” Horton-Tucker, the 46th overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft only played 6 games in the 2019 season while averaging only 13.5 minutes per game and 5.7 points. Tucker also spent a portion of his rookie year down in the G league, he averaged 18.1 pts and was a 30% 3 point shooter. A well respected stat line, but can it transfer to the NBA? Why is he so highly touted a year after his underwhelming rookie campaign? I can give you one main reason, he has just received the highest praise a young and upcoming basketball player can receive. This is like Tiger Woods complimenting your swing, it is a huge deal. No one in recent history has been so highly praised by Lebron. Could THT (Talen Horton-Tucker) be the next big thing?
Should you sell right now or hold onto his rookie cards? In my opinion, I would sell right away. Tucker has the ability to become a great player, but right now I do not believe he has that opportunity in LA. The Lakers are coming off a NBA championship, and they are expecting Lebron and Anthony Davis back for the start of the season. THT may only see a limited amount of minutes while on the Lakers. Even if AD and Lebron aren’t back it is still a large risk to hold on to his cards, after all he has only shown a small sample size of his ability after one preseason game. In order for the second year stud to gain a spot in the starting lineup he will have to outperform two NBA veterans, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Wesley Matthews. Although the ideal opportunity is there for you to hold onto THT, there is just too much risk in the player. Do not get greedy, sell now.
When the sports market zigs you zag, but who is the next Horton-Tucker? Will this happen again, yes without a doubt. We are witnessing sports card history as one of the biggest booms over a 7 day period. One of the main reasons Horton-Tucker exploded is because he is in one of the largest sports markets in the world. Los Angeles is a relative host to 11 professional sports teams. There is not one sports market comparable to LA.
The next boom could be in a lesser market, in my opinion the next player that has a similar opportunity is Jalen McDaniels, the 6 foot 10 forward/center had a great showing in his one and only first preseason game. McDaniels proved that he can be a force off the bench for the Hornets, he hit all of his three point attempts while casually putting up a line of 15 points, 2 rebounds and one assist. The 22 year old McDaniels can benefit from his new teammate Lamelo Ball, Ball has already shown his passing prowess. McDaniels jammed home an alley oop pass from Lamelo in the game. He received a few more key assists from Ball. One that stuck out to me is Ball’s ability to drive and kick out. Ball did this once out to McDaniels in the corner and his three point attempt was good. McDaniels averaged a point per minute in his time off the bench. McDaniels is a great buy at the moment his Prizm rookie card is at 2 dollars a pop. The San Diego State product has a chance to breakout this year with a great supporting cast.
A low risk high reward stash is Kostas Antetokounmpo, the 6 foot 10 freak who has lived in the shadow of his older brother Giannis (2020 NBA MVP) for most of his life. Kostas’ 7 foot 2 wingspan makes him an elite shot blocker and a great rebounder. Last year Kostas spent a great deal of time in the G league, he averaged 14.1 points and 1.3 blocks per game. This statline does not show the true impact of his defensive game he is a force to be reckoned with. He is only 23 years old with plenty of juice in the tank he could prove to be a vital piece of the future of the Lakers, if given the right opportunity.
These two players are great for the long term and short term. Jalen and Kostas are two low cost players who can make a big boom over the next 6 months. Check back next week Tuesday for some larger investments of more solidified players due for an increase in their card. Next week we will converse with fellow card connoisseur, Jack Lemp.