Only a few games into the 2026-27 NBA season, collectors already have a few unexpected names to watch. The early schedule has produced its usual mix of overreactions and real signals, but three players have done enough to draw attention on both the court and in the card market: Ty Jerome, Tyler Herro and Walker Kessler.
Each player is arriving at this moment from a different direction. Jerome has stepped into a larger offensive role in Memphis and delivered a headline performance right away. Herro is adjusting to life in Milwaukee after a franchise-shifting trade and has looked like the focal point of the Bucks offense through two games. Kessler has joined the Lakers and immediately given them the kind of interior production they have been missing.
For card collectors, the appeal is clear. Early-season spikes often follow role changes, breakout stat lines and fresh team situations, especially when there is a recognizable rookie card to chase. These three check every box, and recent sales show the market is reacting quickly.
Ty Jerome is turning opportunity into production in Memphis
Jerome has been one of the biggest early surprises of the season. In his second year with the Memphis Grizzlies, the veteran guard erupted for a career-high 45 points against the Utah Jazz and helped power Memphis to a win by more than 20 points. The scoring outburst also set a Grizzlies franchise mark for the highest-scoring performance in a season opener.
For more collector background, read Topps NOW Revives NBA Debut Inscription Autographs for Four 2026 Rookies.
That kind of game would stand out for almost any player, but it hits differently in Jerome’s case. Now in his eighth NBA season, he had topped the 30-point mark only one other time in his career before this run. That makes the performance feel less like a routine hot shooting night and more like a major shift in role and responsibility.
Memphis entered the season with real offensive questions after moving on from both Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant over the past year. Through two games, Jerome has been the player providing answers. Whether that pace is sustainable over a long season is still to be determined, but his usage and confidence have already changed the way collectors are looking at his market.
The card seeing the clearest impact is his 2019 Panini Prizm Ty Jerome Rookie Silver Prizm #268 in PSA 10. With a PSA population of 86, the card sold for an all-time high of $99.99 on October 22. That sale represented a jump of $69.99, or 233%, over the previous 2.5 months.
For another perspective on this story, read Ty Jerome, Tyler Herro and Walker Kessler Drive Early NBA Card Movement.
From a collector standpoint, Jerome’s market is interesting because it combines an established flagship brand with a relatively low PSA 10 pop compared with many modern rookie silvers. Prizm remains one of the first places buyers go when a player catches fire, and low-supply graded examples can move fast when there is not much available inventory. If Jerome continues to command the ball and produce in high-volume scoring situations, his Silver Prizm could remain one of the more volatile early-season cards in the NBA market.
Tyler Herro looks ready for a bigger offensive spotlight with the Bucks
Herro entered the season with more name recognition than Jerome, but his inclusion among the biggest surprises comes from context. After arriving in Milwaukee as part of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, Herro has wasted no time becoming the centerpiece of the Bucks offense.
In Milwaukee’s 132-125 loss to the Chicago Bulls, Herro scored 34 points while adding five rebounds, four assists and one steal. More notably, he was the only Bucks player to score at least 20 points in that game. It was not an isolated burst either. In his team debut, Herro led Milwaukee in shot attempts and scored a team-high 24 points.
That gives him 58 total points through two games, the highest total of his career over the first two games of a season. Small sample sizes always require caution, but the early usage says a lot. Milwaukee appears comfortable putting the ball in Herro’s hands and letting him operate as the lead scorer, and that kind of role expansion matters in the hobby.
Collectors often respond quickly when a player’s pecking order becomes clearer. Herro has long had a following thanks to his rookie-year visibility, playoff moments and broad hobby familiarity. What he has not always had is a clean path to being the unquestioned top option. If these first two games are a sign of how Milwaukee plans to use him, that can change the ceiling on his cards.
The key card gaining momentum is the 2019 Panini Prizm Tyler Herro Rookie Silver Prizm #259 in PSA 10. Despite a much larger PSA 10 population of 864, the card still climbed sharply, rising $32.56 or 139% over the past month to a $56 sale on October 20.
The bigger population means Herro’s market behaves differently from Jerome’s. There is more supply, so price moves can be less explosive on a percentage basis unless demand really accelerates. Even so, the recent increase shows buyers are willing to pay up when they see a prominent player stepping into a bigger role. Herro has always had one of the more liquid rookie-card markets among players from his draft class, and that liquidity can help drive fast movement when momentum builds.
His Prizm Silver also benefits from familiarity. For many collectors, it is one of the easiest and most trusted cards to track across player tiers, which makes it a natural measuring stick when the market starts reassessing a player’s value. If Herro keeps posting strong scoring totals and maintains lead-option volume in Milwaukee, his early-season rise may be just the start of a larger market reset.
Walker Kessler is making an immediate impact with the Lakers
Kessler may be the most fascinating case of the three because his early numbers are tied to a new team, a major contract and one of the hobby’s biggest spotlights. The Los Angeles Lakers entered the season needing a dependable center presence, and Kessler has looked like exactly that through his first two games in purple and gold.
After spending the opening years of his career with the Utah Jazz, Kessler arrived in Los Angeles via a sign-and-trade this offseason. The Lakers sent Utah two first-round picks, in 2031 and 2033, plus first-round swaps in 2028 and 2030. Kessler also signed a four-year, $130 million contract as part of the move, a strong signal that Los Angeles viewed him as a long-term piece rather than a short-term experiment.
His start has justified the investment. Kessler scored 48 total points across his first two games, posting 22 in one outing and 26 in the next. He has also shot 84.6% from the field, the best mark in the league at this stage. In his Lakers debut, he went a perfect 12-for-12 from the floor, which ranks as the second-best shooting performance in franchise history. He then followed it by becoming the eighth Lakers player to record six blocks and three steals in a game.
That kind of all-around stat profile is tailor-made for collector interest. Efficient scoring, rim protection, team fit and immediate visibility on a marquee franchise can combine into a powerful market catalyst. Kessler was already respected for his defensive value, but this opening stretch has added more offensive pop to the picture and raised the perception of his ceiling in Los Angeles.
The standout card here is his 2022 Donruss Optic Walker Kessler Rated Rookie Holo #213 in PSA 10. With an exceptionally low PSA 10 population of 15, the card sold for an all-time high of $119.99 on October 24. That marked a rise of $94.99, or 380%, over the past 1.5 months.
Among the three featured players, Kessler’s market may have the most room for sharp short-term swings because the graded supply is so thin. Low-pop Optic Holos can move quickly once collectors decide a player has reached a new level of relevance, especially when that player is attached to the Lakers. The franchise factor matters in the hobby. Strong performances in Los Angeles tend to receive more attention, and that extra visibility can lead to faster price discovery than a similar start might generate elsewhere.
Why these early card jumps matter to collectors
The first week or two of an NBA season rarely tells the whole story, but it often reveals where the hobby is focusing its attention. In the cases of Jerome, Herro and Kessler, there is more at play than just box-score production. Each player has entered the year with a changed basketball context, and that is often what creates the strongest card movement.
Jerome is benefiting from unexpected star-level scoring responsibility in Memphis. Herro is seeing what looks like a real offensive leadership role after a major trade. Kessler has landed on one of the league’s most visible teams and immediately filled a major need. Those are the kinds of storylines collectors tend to price in before a broader market fully catches up.
There is also a useful lesson in how differently their cards are behaving. Jerome’s Prizm Silver PSA 10 has a relatively low population and responded with a major percentage gain after one huge performance. Herro’s Silver Prizm is more widely held, but his established hobby profile and expanded role have still produced a strong move. Kessler’s Optic Holo sits in a low-pop sweet spot where a few determined buyers can reshape the market quickly.
For anyone tracking early-season risers, these three players offer a good snapshot of how performance, role and card supply interact. The next few games will matter, especially if any of them cool off or continue building momentum. For now, their flagship rookie cards have become some of the more notable early indicators in the 2026-27 NBA card market.
Key cards and recent sales to watch
Collectors following these players can keep a close eye on three benchmark rookie cards that have already reacted to the early-season action:
- Ty Jerome: 2019 Panini Prizm Rookie Silver Prizm #268 PSA 10, population 86, sold for $99.99 on October 22.
- Tyler Herro: 2019 Panini Prizm Rookie Silver Prizm #259 PSA 10, population 864, sold for $56 on October 20.
- Walker Kessler: 2022 Donruss Optic Rated Rookie Holo #213 PSA 10, population 15, sold for $119.99 on October 24.
If their opening performances hold and their roles remain intact, these cards should stay active on collector watchlists as the season moves deeper into its first month.
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