With the NFL and college football seasons wrapping up, my focus is shifting to basketball.  2022 was a tough year for basketball card values as their overall decline outpaced most other collectables categories.  Will 2023 see basketball cards bounce back?  This is a question each collector will need to decide for themselves.  Personally, I am highly interested to see where the NBA card market goes in the next 5 months, and below are 7 specific players who I believe are worth watching in the second half of the NBA year.

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Donovan Mitchell

The offseason was eventful for Mitchell as he exited Utah and was courted by the Knicks before landing with an up-and-coming Cleveland squad.  With the Cavaliers, Mitchell’s experience and scoring has pared nicely with the energy of younger players such as Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarett Allen.  For the season, Mitchell is averaging career highs in points per game and field goal percentage and is a lock to make his fourth straight All-Star appearance.  

At the time of writing, the Cavaliers held the fourth best record in the Eastern Conference.  While Cleveland is unlikely to defeat East powers Boston or Milwaukee in a playoff series, they are good enough to rack up a bunch of regular season wins and make it through the first round of the playoffs.   If the team makes it over these hurdles, it could result in good things for Mitchell’s card values.  Mitchell’s rookie year was 2017-18.  His Panini Prizm cards from that year cost $40 in PSA 9 and $85 in PSA 10.

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